Pointing device

ABSTRACT

A pointing device including a base section, an operating section shiftably supported on the base section, a magnet carried on one of the base section and the operating section, and a magneto-electro transducer carried on the other of the base section and the operating section at a location close to the magnet. The operating section includes a first part securely holding one of the magnet and the magneto-electro transducer and supported on the base section shiftably in a desired horizontal direction relative to the base section, and a second part connected to the first part and elastically biasing the first part toward a home position in a horizontal shifting range during a period when the first part is horizontally shifted along the base section. The second part of the operating section is provided integrally with a major portion substantially surrounding an entire circumference of the first part, a first connecting portion connected to the first part at one end of the major portion and a second connecting portion connected to the base section at another end of the major portion; the major portion exerting an even elastic biasing force irrespective of a shifting direction of the first part on the base section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates, generally, to an input device forelectronic equipment and, more particularly, to a pointing devicecapable of being installed in data processors. The present inventionalso relates to a portable information apparatus incorporating therein apointing device. The present invention further relates to a method ofmanufacturing an assembly of a circuit board and a connector, which maybe provided in electronic equipment such as a pointing device.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] It is well known that, in digital data processors with displaysand keyboards, such as personal computers, word processors, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), etc., a pointing device as an auxiliary inputdevice for enabling an operator to manually enter analogue-typeinformation so as to direct two-dimensional coordinate data, such ascursor shifting data, on a display screen is incorporated. Particularly,a small-sized portable data processor generally incorporates thepointing device integrally in the casing of the processor.

[0005] The pointing device including a base section, an operatingsection shiftably supported on the base section, a magneto-electrotransducer carried on the base section, and a magnet carried on theoperating section to be arranged close to the magneto-electro transducerhas been known in the art. In this pointing device, an operatormanipulates the operating section to shift it in a desiredconvexly-curved direction on the base section, so as to change thepositional correlation between the magnet and the magneto-electrotransducer and thereby to vary the output voltage of the magneto-electrotransducer. It is possible, through this operation, to enter analogueinformation corresponding to the shifting direction and shiftingdistance of the operating section.

[0006] Also, the pointing device including, in addition to theabove-described components, a switch mechanism arranged between the basesection and the operating section, wherein an operator manipulates theoperating section to push it toward the base section so as to actuatethe switch mechanism, has been known in the art (see, e.g., JapaneseExamined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 7-117875 (JP-B-7-117875)). Inthis pointing device, the operator manipulates the operating section topush it down, so that it is possible to make the switch mechanism outputa click signal in connection with, e.g., a pointer on a display screenof an apparatus to which the pointing device is installed, in additionto the analogue information entering operation.

[0007] It is generally understood that the pointing device with themagneto-electro transducer is particularly advantageously installed invarious portable information apparatuses for hand-held operation, suchas electronic notebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobilephones, etc., because of a relatively short displacement of theoperating section required for a coordinate data entering operation andof a relatively low power consumption. However, in the above-describedconventional pointing device with the magneto-electro transducer, theoperating section is arranged to be shifted in a curved direction overthe base section, so that it is necessary to provide a certain curvedsurface with desired curvature and area in a mutual engagement portionbetween the base section and the operating section. As a result, it hasbeen difficult to reduce an outside dimension of the pointing device tosuch a degree as to permit the pointing device to be installed into aportable information apparatus.

[0008] For example, in a folding-type portable information apparatus inwhich a display is connected, through a hinge, with a keyboard, it isdesirable to substantially eliminate the protrusions of switches or thelike, provided in the keyboard, from the upper surface of the keyboard,in order to reduce a thickness of the apparatus in a folded conditionand to improve the portability. Therefore, in the case where thepointing device with the magneto-electro transducer is installed intothe keyboard of such a portable information apparatus, it is required toreduce the dimensions of the pointing device, especially in a heightdirection, as much as possible.

[0009] Also, in the case where the pointing device is installed into aportable information apparatus, it is required to stably and effectivelyconnect the pointing device with a main circuit board (or a mountingboard) of the information apparatus in both an electrical and amechanical way, in a relatively narrow interior space of a casing of theapparatus. Furthermore, in the case where the pointing device with themagneto-electro transducer is installed into a portable informationapparatus, various miniaturized components of the pointing device maymake the handling thereof troublesome, and thereby the operability ofthe entire assembling process of the information apparatus may bedeteriorated.

[0010] Moreover, in the pointing device with the magneto-electrotransducer and having a click function, when the operating section ispushed to actuate the switch mechanism, the positional correlationbetween the magnet and the magneto-electro transducers is inevitablychanged. In this operation, the output voltages of the magneto-electrotransducers may vary, and thus the signal of analogue data, such ascursor shifting data, may be output from the pointing device, justbefore a click operation is effected, in a certain shifting direction ofthe magnet relative to the magneto-electro transducers. Therefore, inorder to perform an accurate click operation, it is necessary to pushdown the operating section accurately in a vertical direction inrelation to the base section, which in turn requires the provision of anadditional guide mechanism or otherwise the skillfulness of theoperator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apointing device with a magneto-electro transducer, capable of reducingan outside dimension of the pointing device to such a degree as topermit the pointing device to be installed into a portable informationapparatus, without deteriorating the operability of an operatingsection.

[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide apointing device with a magneto-electro transducer, capable of beingstably and effectively connected with an external circuit board, in bothan electrical and a mechanical way, even in a narrow space.

[0013] It is a further object of the present invention to provide amethod of manufacturing an assembly of a circuit board and a connector,capable of stably and effectively connecting an electronic unit, such asa pointing device, with a mounting board even in a narrow space.

[0014] It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide aportable information apparatus having a pointing device with amagneto-electro transducer, which has a configuration for improving anoperability of an assembling process.

[0015] It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide apointing device with a magneto-electro transducer and having a clickfunction, capable of easily performing a proper and accurate clickoperation without requiring an additional guiding mechanism oroperator's skillfulness.

[0016] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided apointing device, comprising a base section; an operating sectionshiftably supported on the base section; a magnet carried on one of thebase section and the operating section; and a magneto-electro transducercarried on the other of the base section and the operating section at alocation close to the magnet; wherein the operating section includes afirst part securely holding one of the magnet and the magneto-electrotransducer and supported on the base section shiftably in a desiredhorizontal direction relative to the base section, and a second partconnected to the first part and elastically biasing the first parttoward a home position in a horizontal shifting range during a time whenthe first part is horizontally shifted along the base section.

[0017] In this pointing device, it is preferred that the second part ofthe operating section is provided integrally with a major portionsubstantially surrounding an entire circumference of the first part, afirst connecting portion connected to the first part at one end of themajor portion and a second connecting portion connected to the basesection at another end of the major portion; the major portion exertingan even elastic biasing force irrespective of a shifting direction ofthe first part on the base section.

[0018] In this arrangement, the base section may include a cover membercovering the second connecting portion of the second part; the covermember being provided with a center opening for permitting the major andfirst connecting portions of the second part to be inserted through theopening in a horizontally shiftable manner.

[0019] It is also preferred that the base section may include a circuitboard electrically connected to the magneto-electro transducer and asupport member joined to the circuit board; the support member beingprovided at a position projecting from a surface of the circuit boardwith a generally flat support surface for supporting the first partslidably in the horizontal direction.

[0020] In this arrangement, the support member may include a wallprojecting to a position higher than the support surface in relation tothe surface of the circuit board and extending in such a direction as tosurround the support surface; the second part being abutted at a desiredportion thereof onto the wall to be attached to the support member.

[0021] Alternatively, the support member may include a groove recessedto a position lower than the support surface in relation to the surfaceof the circuit board and extending in such a direction as to surroundthe support surface; the second part being inserted at a desired portionthereof into the groove to be attached to the support member.

[0022] Alternatively, the support member may include a support portionprovided at a position spaced from the circuit board, the supportportion defining the support surface.

[0023] In this case, the pointing device may further comprise a switchmechanism mounted onto the circuit board within a space defined betweenthe circuit board and the support portion of the support member; theswitch mechanism being actuated by pressing the first part against thesupport portion.

[0024] In this arrangement, the support member may include a pluralityof elastic beams cooperating with each other to form the supportportion; the elastic beams being elastically bent by pressing the firstpart against the support portion so that at least one of the elasticbeams actuates the switch mechanism.

[0025] Also, the pointing device may further comprise a separate elasticmember interposed between the circuit board and the support member; theseparate elastic member being elastically bent by pressing the firstpart against the support portion so that the support portion actuatesthe switch mechanism.

[0026] One of the magnet and the magneto-electro transducer may bemounted onto the circuit board within a space defined between thecircuit board and the support portion of the support member.

[0027] Alternatively, one of the magnet and the magneto-electrotransducer may be mounted onto the circuit board on a back side oppositeto a side on which the support member is placed.

[0028] It is also preferred that the base section includes a circuitboard electrically connected to the magneto-electro transducer; thecircuit board being provided in a surface thereof with a generally flatsupport surface for supporting the first part slidably in the horizontaldirection.

[0029] In this arrangement, one of the magnet and the magneto-electrotransducer may be mounted onto the circuit board on a side opposite tothe support surface.

[0030] Also, a desired portion of the second part may be directlyattached to the circuit board.

[0031] The first and second parts may be formed separately from andassembled to each other.

[0032] Alternatively, the first and second parts may be formedintegrally with each other from mutually different materials.

[0033] Alternatively, the first and second parts may be formedintegrally with each other from mutually identical materials.

[0034] The second part may include a portion covering the first part andan operating surface formed on the portion for a shifting operation ofthe operating section.

[0035] The pointing device may further comprises a key top fitted to thefirst part independently from the second part, wherein an operatingsurface is formed on the key top for a shifting operation of theoperating section.

[0036] Also, the pointing device may further comprise an auxiliary partarranged between the base section and the operating section forelastically biasing the first part toward the home position incooperation with the second part.

[0037] Also, the pointing device may further comprise a switch mechanismarranged between the base section and the operating section, wherein theoperating section includes an actuating part disposed independently ofthe first part on the base section and shiftable in a vertical directiongenerally orthogonal to the horizontal direction; the switch mechanismbeing actuated by pressing the actuating part against the switchmechanism.

[0038] In this arrangement, the actuating part may be separated from thesecond part and carried on the switch mechanism.

[0039] Alternatively, the actuating part may be joined integrally withthe second part.

[0040] The base section may include a guide mechanism for guiding theactuating part in the vertical direction directly above the switchmechanism.

[0041] The actuating part may include a key top separate from the secondpart and a press-operating surface formed on the key top for a pressingoperation of the operating section in the vertical direction.

[0042] The base section may include a circuit board carrying the switchmechanism thereon; one of the magnet and the magneto-electro transducerbeing mounted onto the circuit board on a back side opposite to a sideon which the switch mechanism is carried.

[0043] It is also preferred that the base section includes a circuitboard electrically connected to the magneto-electro transducer and aconnector for connecting the circuit board to another mounting board,and wherein the connector includes an insulating member and a pluralityof terminals carried in an array on the insulating member; the terminalsbeing individually secured to a plurality of through holes formed in aregion adjacent to an outer periphery of the circuit board.

[0044] In this arrangement, the circuit board may be provided on asurface thereof with a land adjacent to an opening edge of each of thethrough holes; a portion of the land, disposed between the opening edgeand the outer periphery of the circuit board, having a width dimensionsmaller than that of a remaining portion of the land.

[0045] The present invention also provides a pointing device, comprisinga base section; an operating section supported on the base section andshiftable in a desired direction relative to the base section; a magnetcarried on one of the base section and the operating section; and amagneto-electro transducer carried on the other of the base section andthe operating section at a location close to the magnet; wherein thebase section includes a circuit board connected to the magneto-electrotransducer and a connector for connecting the circuit board to anothermounting board; and wherein the connector includes an insulating memberand a plurality of terminals carried in an array on the insulatingmember; the terminals being individually secured to a plurality ofthrough holes formed in a region adjacent to an outer periphery of thecircuit board.

[0046] In this pointing device, it is advantageous that the circuitboard is provided on a surface thereof with a land adjacent to anopening edge of each of the through holes; a portion of the land,disposed between the opening edge and the outer periphery of the circuitboard, having a width dimension smaller than that of a remaining portionof the land.

[0047] The present invention also provides a portable informationapparatus, comprising a pointing device as set forth in claim 1; and acomponent provided integrally with at least desired portions of the basesection and the operating section of the pointing device.

[0048] The present invention also provides a pointing device, comprisinga base section; an operating section arranged shiftably in a desireddirection relative to the base section; a signal generating part fordetecting a relative displacement between the base section and theoperating section to generate an analogue signal; a switch mechanismcapable of being actuated by a relative motion between the base sectionand the operating section in a direction different from the relativedisplacement to generate a signal; and a processing part for processingsignals generated from the signal generating part and the switchmechanism as input data; wherein the processing part suspends processingof the analogue signal generated from the signal generating part duringa time when the switch mechanism is actuated.

[0049] In this pointing device, it is advantageous that the processingpart suspends processing the analogue signal generated from the signalgenerating part during a predetermined time after the switch mechanismis shifted from an actuated condition to a non-actuated condition.

[0050] The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing anassembly of a circuit board and a connector, the connector beingattached to an outer periphery of the circuit board, comprisingproviding a circuit board including a mounting region on whichelectrical parts are capable of being mounted and a disposal regionadjacent to the mounting region; providing a connector including aninsulating member and a plurality of terminals carried in an array onthe insulating member; forming a plurality of through holes with landsin the mounting region of the circuit board, each of the lands extendingcontinuously from the mounting region to the disposal region;individually inserting the terminals of the connector into the throughholes with lands in the circuit board, and soldering the terminals tothe lands; and separating the disposal region from the mounting regionalong a boundary between the disposal and mounting regions, whileleaving the connector attached to the mounting region of the circuitboard.

[0051] The present invention also provides a pointing device, comprisingan assembly of a circuit board and a connector, manufactured by a methodas set forth above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] The above and other objects, features and advantages of thepresent invention will become more apparent from the followingdescription of preferred embodiments in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

[0053]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0054]FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the FIG. 3 is avertical sectional view of the pointing device, taken along a lineIII-III in FIG. 2, showing an operating section at a home position;

[0055]FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3,showing the operating section being shifted in a horizontal direction;

[0056]FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0057]FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device of FIG.5, showing an operating section at a home position;

[0058]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0059]FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device of FIG.7, showing an operating section at a home position;

[0060]FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIG. 8,showing the operating section being shifted in a vertical direction;

[0061]FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0062]FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 10, showing an operating section at a home position;

[0063]FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIG. 11,showing the operating section being shifted in a vertical direction;

[0064]FIG. 13 is an exploded vertical sectional view showing amodification of a pointing device;

[0065]FIG. 14 is an exploded vertical sectional view showing anothermodification of a pointing device;

[0066]FIG. 15 is an exploded vertical sectional view showing a furthermodification of a pointing device;

[0067]FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a yet furthermodification of a pointing device;

[0068]FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 16, showing an operating section at a home position;

[0069]FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to FIG. 17,showing the operating section being shifted in a horizontal direction;

[0070]FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of a yet furthermodification of a pointing device;

[0071]FIG. 20 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 19, showing an operating section at a home position;

[0072]FIG. 21 is an assembled perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in a mountedcondition on a mounting board;

[0073]FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the pointing device ofFIG. 21;

[0074]FIG. 23 is a plan view of a circuit board with a connector,arranged in the pointing device of FIG. 21;

[0075]FIG. 24 is a plan view of the circuit board of FIG. 23, before theconnector is attached thereto, for explaining a manufacturing process ofthe circuit board;

[0076]FIG. 25A is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the circuitboard of FIG. 24;

[0077]FIG. 25B is an enlarged plan view of a part of the circuit boardof FIG. 24;

[0078]FIG. 26 is a sectional view of the circuit board, taken along aline XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 23;

[0079]FIG. 27 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

[0080]FIG. 28 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device ofFIG. 27;

[0081]FIG. 29 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device, takenalong a line XXIX-XXIX in FIG. 28, showing an operating section at ahome position;

[0082]FIG. 30 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

[0083]FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a support member arranged in thepointing device of FIG. 30;

[0084]FIG. 32 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 30, showing an operating section at a home position;

[0085]FIG. 33 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

[0086]FIG. 34 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 33, showing an operating section at a home position;

[0087]FIG. 35 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a ninth embodiment of the present invention;

[0088]FIG. 36A is a top-side perspective view of a support memberarranged in the pointing device of FIG. 35;

[0089]FIG. 36B is a bottom-side perspective view of the support memberof FIG. 36A;

[0090]FIG. 37A is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 35, taken along a line XXXVIIA-XXXVIIA in FIG. 36A;

[0091]FIG. 37B is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 35, taken along a line XXXVIIB-XXXVIIB in FIG. 36A;

[0092]FIG. 38 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a tenth embodiment of the present invention;

[0093]FIG. 39A is a top-side perspective view of a support memberarranged in the pointing device of FIG. 38;

[0094]FIG. 39B is a bottom-side perspective view of the support memberof FIG. 39A;

[0095]FIG. 40A is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 38, taken along a line XXXXA-XXXXA in FIG. 41;

[0096]FIG. 40B is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 38, taken along a line XXXXB-XXXXB in FIG. 41;

[0097]FIG. 41 is a bottom plan view of a support member arranged in amodification of the pointing device of FIG. 38;

[0098]FIG. 42A is a bottom plan view of a support member arranged inanother modification of the pointing device of FIG. 38;

[0099]FIG. 42B is a bottom plan view of a support member arranged in afurther modification of the pointing device of FIG. 38;

[0100]FIG. 43 is a top plan view of a support member arranged in amodification of the pointing device of FIG. 38;

[0101]FIG. 44 is a vertical sectional view of a modification of thepointing device including the support member of FIG. 43;

[0102]FIG. 45A is a top-side exploded perspective view of maincomponents in a portable information apparatus according to anembodiment of the present invention;

[0103]FIG. 45B is a bottom-side exploded perspective view of the maincomponents of FIG. 45A;

[0104]FIG. 46A is an assembled vertical sectional view of the maincomponents of FIG. 45A, before they are assembled with a casing;

[0105]FIG. 46B is an assembled vertical sectional view of the maincomponents of FIG. 45A, after they are assembled with a casing;

[0106]FIG. 47A is a top-side exploded perspective view of maincomponents in a portable information apparatus according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

[0107]FIG. 47B is a bottom-side exploded perspective view of the maincomponents of FIG. 47A;

[0108]FIG. 48 is an assembled vertical sectional view of the maincomponents of FIG. 47A;

[0109]FIG. 49 is an exploded perspective view of main components in aportable information apparatus according to a further embodiment of thepresent invention;

[0110]FIG. 50 is a perspective view showing components of a pointingdevice, being attached to a casing of FIG. 49;

[0111]FIG. 51 is an assembled vertical sectional view of the maincomponents of FIG. 49, taken along a line XXXXXI-XXXXXI in FIG. 50;

[0112]FIG. 52 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of amodification of the casing of FIG. 49;

[0113]FIG. 53 is an exploded perspective view of main components in aportable information apparatus according to a yet further embodiment ofthe present invention;

[0114]FIG. 54 is an assembled perspective view of the main components ofFIG. 53;

[0115]FIG. 55 is an assembled vertical sectional view of the maincomponents of FIG. 53, taken along a line XXXXXV-XXXXXV in FIG. 54;

[0116]FIG. 56 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention;

[0117]FIG. 57 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device ofFIG. 56;

[0118]FIG. 58 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device, takenalong a line XXXXXVIII-XXXXXVIII in FIG. 57, showing an operatingsection at a home position;

[0119]FIG. 59A is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 56, showing the operating section being shifted in a horizontaldirection;

[0120]FIG. 59B is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 56, showing the operating section being shifted in a verticaldirection;

[0121]FIG. 60 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention;

[0122]FIG. 61 is an assembled perspective view of the pointing device ofFIG. 60;

[0123]FIG. 62A is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 60, showing the operating section being shifted in a horizontaldirection;

[0124]FIG. 62B is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device ofFIG. 60, showing the operating section being shifted in a verticaldirection;

[0125]FIG. 63A is a vertical sectional view of a modification of thepointing device of FIG. 60, showing the operating section being shiftedin a horizontal direction;

[0126]FIG. 63B is a vertical sectional view of the modification of FIG.63A, showing the operating section being shifted in a verticaldirection;

[0127]FIG. 64 is an exploded perspective view of another modification ofthe pointing device of FIG. 60;

[0128]FIG. 65A is a vertical sectional view of the modification of FIG.64;

[0129]FIG. 65B is a vertical sectional view of a further modification;

[0130]FIG. 66 is an assembled perspective view of a pointing deviceaccording to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention;

[0131]FIG. 67 is a vertical sectional view of the pointing device, takenalong a line XXXXXXVII-XXXXXXVII in FIG. 66; and

[0132]FIG. 68 is a diagram showing a signal processing procedure in apointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0133] Referring now to the drawings, in which the same or similarcomponents are denoted by common reference numerals, FIG. 1 shows apointing device 10, according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention, in an exploded perspective view, FIG. 2 shows the pointingdevice 10 in an assembled perspective view, and FIG. 3 shows thepointing device 10 in a vertical sectional view in the assembled state.The pointing device 10 is capable of being used in various dataprocessors, such as personal computers, word processors, etc., as wellas various portable information apparatuses, such as electronicnotebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, etc., asan auxiliary input device for directing two-dimensional coordinate dataon a display screen, and capable of being integrally incorporated in acasing of such a data processor or a portable information apparatus.

[0134] The pointing device 10 includes a base section 12, an operatingsection 14 supported on the base section 12 and shiftable in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 12, a disk-shapedmagnet (such as a permanent magnet) 16 arranged in or carried on theoperating section 14, and a plurality of magneto-electro transducers(such as Hall-effect elements) 18 arranged in or carried on the basesection 12 at locations close to the magnet 16. The operating section 14includes a first or holding part 20 securely holding the magnet 16,supported on the base section 12 and shiftable in a desired horizontaldirection relative to the base section 12, and a second or elastic part22 connected to the holding part 20 and elastically biasing the holdingpart 20 toward a home position in a horizontal shifting range during atime when the holding part 20 is horizontally shifted along the basesection 12.

[0135] The base section 12 includes a circuit board 24, on whichelectronic components including a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and asupport member 26 fixedly joined to the circuit board 24. The circuitboard 24 has a generally flat major surface 24 a. The support member 26includes a support portion 28 located at a position spaced from thesurface 24 a of the circuit board 24, for supporting the holding part 20of the operating section 14 slidably in the desired horizontaldirection. In the illustrated embodiment, the “horizontal direction”means a direction substantially parallel to the surface 24 a of thecircuit board 24, and thus the support portion 28 of the support member26 is provided on an upper side thereof, facing away from the circuitboard 24, with a flat circular support surface 28 a extendingsubstantially parallel to the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. Thesupport surface 28 a serves to support the holding part 20 slidably inthe desired horizontal direction at a position projecting from thesurface 24 a of the circuit board 24.

[0136] The support member 26 further includes a cylindrical wall 30extending in such a direction as to surround the support surface 28 a,the wall 30 defining a horizontal shifting range of the holding part 20of the operating section 14. The wall 30 is formed integrally with thesupport portion 28 to project to a position higher than the supportsurface 28 a in relation to the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24.The elastic part 22 is fitted to the support member 26 with a peripheralportion of the elastic part 22 surrounding the cylindrical wall 30, asdescribed later. A center axis of the cylindrical wall 30, passingthrough a geometrical center of the support surface 28 a, constitutes acenter axis P of the pointing device 10 and defines a home position inthe horizontal shifting range of the holding part 20 along the supportsurface 28 a. The support member 26 is further provided integrally at anouter periphery thereof with a plurality (four, in the drawing) ofelastic hooks 32 extending opposite to the wall 30. The support member26 is securely assembled with the circuit board 24 at a predeterminedposition thereon, with the elastic hooks 32 being respectively fitted ina snap-fit manner into a plurality of apertures 34 formed in the circuitboard 24 at locations corresponding to the hooks 32.

[0137] Four magneto-electro transducers 18 are mounted on the surface 24a of the circuit board 24 at regular intervals in a circumferentialdirection about the center axis P, within a space defined between thecircuit board 24 and the support portion 28 of the support member 26.This configuration of the magneto-electro transducers 18 is provided forallowing the pointing device 10 to output an analog data signal in atwo-dimensional coordinate system.

[0138] The base section 12 further includes a cover member 36 fixedlyjoined to the circuit board 24 so as to substantially cover or hide anouter peripheral region of the support member 26. The cover member 36 isprovided integrally with a cylindrical outer circumferential wall 38 andan annular end wall 40 extending radially inward from one axial end ofthe outer circumferential wall 38. The end wall 40 defines by an inneredge thereof a center opening 42, through which a major operatingportion of the operating section 14, as described later, is inserted ina horizontally shiftable manner. The cover member 36 is further providedintegrally at an outer periphery thereof with a plurality (four, in thedrawing) of elastic hooks 44 extending from the other axial end of thecircumferential wall 38 opposite to the end wall 40. The cover member 36is securely assembled with the circuit board 24 at a predeterminedposition thereon, with the elastic hooks 44 being respectively fitted ina snap-fit manner on a pair of opposite outer edges of the rectangularplate-shaped circuit board 24. The cover member 36 serves to retain theoperating section 14 so as to prevent the latter from being removed fromthe base section 12, in a condition where the major operating portion ofthe operating section 14 projects outward through the center opening 42.

[0139] In the illustrated embodiment, the holding part 20 and theelastic part 22 of the operating section 14 are produced independentlyfrom each other as separate members, and are securely assembledtogether. The holding part 20 is a stepped cylindrical member, and hasrigidity for substantially eliminating a deformation thereof during atime when the operating section 14 is operated to shift in thehorizontal direction on the base section 12. The holding part 20 isprovided in a larger diameter portion, at one axial end of a steppedcylindrical profile thereof, with a recess 46 for accommodating themagnet 16, defined by a cylindrical circumferential wall 48. The magnet16 may be fixed in the recess 46 of the holding part 20 by adhering orpress-fitting the magnet 16. The holding part 20 is capable of shifting,in a parallel-translation manner, on the support surface 28 a of thesupport member 26 of the base section 12 so as to be two-dimensionallyslidable over 360 degrees about the center axis P, with a distal orlower end of the circumferential wall 48 being uniformly abutted to thesupport surface 28 a. This configuration can advantageously reducefriction in an interface between the holding part 20 and the supportsurface 28 a, and thereby improves the horizontal shifting operabilityof the operating section 14.

[0140] The elastic part 22 is a basin-shaped member, and has elasticityfor permitting a relatively easy elastic deformation thereof during atime when the operating section 14 is operated to shift in thehorizontal direction on the base section 12. The elastic part 22 isprovided integrally with a major portion 50 extending around the holdingpart 20 with a gap defined therebetween, a first connecting portion 52connected to the holding part 20 at one end of the major portion 50 anda second connecting portion 54 connected to the base section 12 atanother end of the major portion 50. The major portion 50 of the elasticpart 22 has a truncated conical or dome-shaped profile for substantiallysurrounding an entire circumference of the holding part 20 and isdisposed coaxially with the holding part 20 during a non-load conditionof the elastic part 22. Accordingly, the elastic part 22 is elasticallydeformed in the major portion 50 due to the horizontal shifting motionof the holding part 20 on the base section 12, and thereby exerts, inthe major portion 50, an even elastic biasing force irrespective of thehorizontal shifting direction of the holding part 20.

[0141] The first connecting portion 52 of the elastic part 22 extendsintegrally and projects axially convexly from a smaller diameter end ofthe major portion 50 having a truncated conical profile, so as to form arecess inside the first connecting portion 52, into which a smallerdiameter portion 56 of the holding part 20 at another axial end of thestepped cylindrical profile thereof is securely fitted. The firstconnecting portion 52 of the elastic part 22 may be fixed through anadhesive to the smaller diameter portion 56 of the holding part 20. Thefirst connecting portion 52 extends to cover the smaller diameterportion 56 of the holding part 20 in close contact with the portion 56,and an operating surface 58, on which an operator touches with, e.g.,his finger for the shifting operation of the operating section 14, isformed on the outer surface of the first connecting portion 52.

[0142] The second connecting portion 54 of the elastic part 22 extendsintegrally and projects axially and radially from a larger diameter endof the major portion 50 having a truncated conical profile, so as toform a thickened peripheral flange capable of being securely held andanchored between an outside region of the cylindrical wall 30 of thesupport member 26 and the circumferential and end walls 38, 40 of thecover member 36, the members 26, 36 constituting the base section 12.The first and second connecting portions 52, 54 serve to fixedly connectthe elastic part 22 to the holding part 20 and the base section 12,respectively, without being substantially deformed during the horizontalshifting motion of the holding part 20 on the base section 12.

[0143] The elastic part 22 may be made from various elastic materials,such as a synthetic rubber or a natural rubber. In consideration of areflow soldering performed in a mounting process of the pointing device10 onto a main circuit board of electronic equipment, it is advantageousthat the elastic part 22 is made from a material having a certain heatresistance, such as a silicone rubber, for preventing a qualitydeterioration thereof in a high temperature environment. On the otherhand, the holding part 20 may be made of plastics, metals, and so forth.

[0144] When the above-described components are properly assembled witheach other, the operating section 14 is arranged in such a configurationthat the major portion 50 and the first connecting portion 52 of theelastic part 22 are inserted through the center opening 42 of the covermember 36 of the base section 12 in a horizontally shiftable manner, andthat the smaller diameter portion 56 of the holding part 20 and thefirst connecting portion 52 covering the portion 56 are located toproject outward from the end wall 40 of the cover member 36 of the basesection 12. In this condition, an operator can manipulate the operatingsurface 58 provided in the first connecting portion 52 of the elasticpart 22 with, e.g., his finger, so as to horizontally shift the holdingpart 20 on the base section 12.

[0145] As shown in FIG. 3, during a time when the elastic part 22 of theoperating section 14 is a non-loaded or balanced condition, a centeraxis Q of the holding part 20 and the magnet 16 held in the recess 46coincides with the center axis P of the pointing device 10. In thisstate, the holding part 20 is located at a home position in thehorizontal shifting range on the support member 26 of the base section12, and four magneto-electro transducers 18 mounted on the circuit board24 are positioned equidistantly from the magnet 16. From this state, asshown in FIG. 4, when the operator touches the operating surface 58 withhis finger and shifts in a parallel translation manner the holding part20 in a desired horizontal direction, the major portion 50 of theelastic part 22 is elastically deformed in correspondence with theshifting direction and shifting amount or distance of the holding part20 in a circumferentially uneven mode. As a result, the elastic part 22exerts a resultant elastic force in the major portion 50 in itsentirety, so as to bias the holding part 20 in a direction opposite tothe shifting direction. The operator thus manipulates the operatingsection 14 to horizontally shift it against a spring biasing forcegenerated by the major portion 50 of the elastic part 22.

[0146] When the operating section 14 is horizontally shifted from thehome position as shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4, thepositional correlation between the magnet 16 and the respectivemagneto-electro transducers 18 is changed, and thereby the outputvoltages from the respective magneto-electro transducers 18 are varied.The variation in the output voltages from the respective magneto-electrotransducers 18 is processed as analog information in the CPU (not shown)on the circuit board 24, and is converted to digital coordinate data.The digital coordinate data as converted are then output via a connectorsection (not shown) provided in the circuit board 24 to a dataprocessing circuit in electronic equipment (not shown) into which thepointing device 10 is installed. In this manner, it is possible toshift, e.g., a cursor or pointer on the display screen of the electronicequipment in a desired direction by a desired distance, incorrespondence to the shifting direction and amount of the holding part20 of the operating section 14.

[0147] From a data input position as shown in FIG. 4, when the operatortakes his finger away from the operating section 14 to release anoperating force, the holding part 20 together with the magnet 16immediately starts to shift toward the home position, due to the springbiasing force generated in the major portion 50 of the elastic part 22,and thus returns to the home position at an instant when the majorportion 50 of the elastic part 22 recovers the balanced form thereof. Inthis respect, the pointing device 10 may be constituted in such a mannerthat, during a return motion of the holding part 20 toward the homeposition, the rapid variation in the output voltages from the respectivemagneto-electro transducers 18, which may be generated due to the quickmotion of the magnet 16, is cancelled in a processing flow in the CPU,so as not to convert it to digital coordinate data.

[0148] As described above, the pointing device 10 has a configurationwherein the holding part 20 of the operating section 14 is shifted onthe flat support surface 28 a provided in the support member 26 of thebase section 12, so that it is possible to effectively reduce thedimension of the base section 12 in comparison with a conventionalstructure employing a curved support surface. Also, the operatingsection 14 is provided inherently with the elastic part 22 forelastically returning the holding part 20 to the home position in thehorizontal shifting range, so that it is possible to readily andcorrectly return the holding part 20 to the home position, and thus tosignificantly improve the operability of the operating section 14.Moreover, the elastic part 22 is constructed to exert an even elasticbiasing force irrespective of a horizontal shifting direction of theholding part 20 in the major portion 50 integrally formed to surroundsubstantially an entire circumference of the holding part 20, so that itis possible to effectively reduce the dimension of the pointing device10, especially in a height direction, without deteriorating theoperability and response of the operating section 14, in comparison witha conventional structure employing a separate return spring interposedbetween base and operating sections. The first connecting portion 52 ofthe elastic part 22, covering the smaller diameter portion 56 of theholding part 20, provides the operating surface 58 at a positionprojecting outward from the cover member 36 of the base section 12,which causes a further advantage that the operator can readily recognizethe location of the operating section 14 on the base section 12 by thetactile sense. Accordingly, the pointing device 10 is capable ofreducing the outside dimension thereof to such a degree as to permit thepointing device 10 to be installed into various portable informationapparatuses for hand-held operation, such as electronic notebooks,personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, etc., withoutdeteriorating the operability of the operating section 14.

[0149]FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a pointing device 60, according to thesecond embodiment of the present invention, in an exploded perspectiveview and an assembled sectional view, respectively. The pointing device60 has substantially the same structure as the pointing device 10 of thefirst embodiment, except for the constitution of a support member joinedto a circuit board of a base section, and thus corresponding componentsare denoted by the common reference numerals and the explanation thereofis not repeated.

[0150] The pointing device 60 includes a base section 62, an operatingsection 14 supported on the base section 62 and shiftable in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 62, a magnet 16arranged in or carried on the operating section 14, and a plurality ofmagneto-electro transducers 18 arranged in or carried on the basesection 62 at locations close to the magnet 16. The base section 62includes a circuit board 24, on which electronic components including aCPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 64 fixedly joined to thecircuit board 24, and a cover member 36 fixedly joined to the circuitboard 24 so as to substantially cover or hide the support member 64.

[0151] The support member 64 includes a hollow cylindrical wall 66defining a circular center bore. The support member 64 is furtherprovided integrally at an outer periphery thereof with a plurality(four, in the drawing) of elastic hooks 68 extending opposite to thewall 66. The support member 64 is securely assembled with the circuitboard 24 at a predetermined position thereon, with the elastic hooks 68being respectively fitted in a snap-fit manner into apertures formed inthe circuit board 24. The circuit board 24 is thus provided in acircular area of the surface 24 a thereof, encircled by the cylindricalwall 66 of the support member 64, with a flat support surface 70 forsupporting the holding part 20, of the operating section 14, slidably inthe desired horizontal direction.

[0152] The cylindrical wall 66 of the support member 64 defines ahorizontal shifting range of the holding part 20 of the operatingsection 14 within the support surface 70 provided in the surface 24 a ofthe circuit board 24. A center axis of the cylindrical wall 66, passingthrough a geometrical center of the support surface 70, constitutes acenter axis P of the pointing device 60 and defines a home position inthe horizontal shifting range of the holding part 20 along the supportsurface 70. The holding part 20 is capable of shifting, in a paralleltranslation manner, on the support surface 70 in the circuit board 24 soas to be two-dimensionally slidable over 360 degrees about the centeraxis P, with a distal or lower end of the circumferential wall 48 of thelarger diameter portion being uniformly abutted to the support surface70. Four magneto-electro transducers 18 are mounted on a back side 24 bof the circuit board 24, opposite to the support surface 70, at regularintervals in a circumferential direction about the center axis P.

[0153] The pointing device 60 is capable of entering analogue data byoperating the operating section 14 to horizontally shift it on the basesection 62, in a way similar to the pointing device 10. In this respect,the elastic part 22 of the operating section 14 is capable of acting toreadily and correctly return the holding part 20 to the home position inthe horizontal shifting range. Particularly, in the pointing device 60,the holding part 20 of the operating section 14 is placed directly onthe surface 24 a of the circuit board 24 of the base section 12 and themagneto-electro transducers 18 are mounted onto the back side 24 b ofthe circuit board 24, so that it is possible to more effectively reducethe dimension of the base section 12, especially in a height direction,in comparison with the pointing device 10.

[0154]FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a pointing device 80, according to thethird embodiment of the present invention, in an exploded perspectiveview and an assembled sectional view, respectively. The pointing device80 has substantially the same structure as the pointing device 10 of thefirst embodiment, except for the constitution of a support member joinedto a circuit board of a base section as well as the provision of aswitch mechanism incorporated for an additional click operation, andthus corresponding components are denoted by the common referencenumerals and an explanation thereof is not repeated.

[0155] The pointing device 80 includes a base section 82, an operatingsection 14 supported on the base section 82 and shiftable in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 82, a magnet 16arranged in or carried on the operating section 14, a plurality ofmagneto-electro transducers 18 arranged in or carried on the basesection 82 at locations close to the magnet 16, and a switch mechanism84 arranged between the base section 82 and the operating section 14.The base section 82 includes a circuit board 24, on which electroniccomponents including a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a support member 86fixedly joined to the circuit board 24, and a cover member 36 fixedlyjoined to the circuit board 24 so as to substantially cover or hide theouter peripheral region of the support member 86.

[0156] The support member 86 includes, integrally, a plurality (four, inthe drawing) of elastic beams 88 located at a position spaced from thesurface 24 a of the circuit board 24. The elastic beams 88 cooperatewith each other to constitute a support portion for supporting theholding part 20 of the operating section 14 slidably in the desiredhorizontal direction. The elastic beams 88 of the support member 86 areprovided respectively on upper sides thereof, facing away from thecircuit board 24, with flat support surfaces 88 a extendablesubstantially parallel to the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24during non-loaded condition of the elastic beams 88. The supportsurfaces 88 a serve to support the holding part 20 slidably in thedesired horizontal direction at a position projecting from the surface24 a of the circuit board 24.

[0157] The elastic beams 88 of the support member 86 extend in a radialdirection about the center axis P of the pointing device 80, and arecapable of being elastically bent or displaced, independently from eachother, with the radial outer ends thereof being fixed. The supportmember 86 is further provided at the radial outer or proximal ends ofthe elastic beams 88 with arcuate upright walls 90 respectivelyextending in such a direction as to surround the support surfaces 88 a.The arcuate walls 90 are formed integrally with the beams 88 so as toproject to a position higher than the support surfaces 88 a in relationto the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24, and thereby define ahorizontal shifting range of the holding part 20 of the operatingsection 14. The arcuate walls 90 are located along a common circle aboutthe center axis P, and thus the center axis P defines a home position inthe horizontal shifting range of the holding part 20 on the supportsurfaces 88 a. The holding part 20 is capable of shifting, in a paralleltranslation manner, on the support surfaces 88 a of the elastic beams 88so as to be two-dimensionally slidable over 360 degrees about the centeraxis P, with the distal or lower end of the circumferential wall 48 ofthe larger diameter portion being uniformly abutted to the supportsurfaces 88 a.

[0158] A desired one of the elastic beams 88 is provided at the radialinner or free end thereof with a bump 92 as a pushing point, locallyprotruding from a back side opposite to the support surface 88 a. Thebump 92 is located on the center axis P of the pointing device 80. Thesupport member 86 is further provided integrally at an outer peripherythereof with a plurality (four, in the drawing) of elastic hooks 94, andis securely assembled with the circuit board 24 at a predeterminedposition thereon by using the elastic hooks 94.

[0159] The switch mechanism 84 is mounted onto the surface 24 a of thecircuit board 24 within a space defined between the circuit board 24 andthe elastic beams 88 of the support member 86, for additionallyproviding a click function. The switch mechanism 84 has a knownmake/break structure including a movable contact and a stationarycontact, the contacts being located substantially on the center axis Pof the pointing device 80. The movable contact of the switch mechanism84 is thus positioned just under the bump or pushing point 92 formed onone elastic beam 88 of the supporting member 86. Then, fourmagneto-electro transducers 18 are mounted on the back side 24 b of thecircuit board 24, opposite to the switch mechanism 84, at regularintervals in a circumferential direction about the center axis P.

[0160] The switch mechanism 84 having the other various structures maybe used, such as a mechanical switch including a spring-biased movablecontact, a membrane switch including a pair of flexible circuit boards,and so forth. The switch mechanism 84 also may have a smaller dimensionfor enabling the magneto-electro transducers 18 being arranged in thespace between the circuit board 24 and the elastic beams 88.

[0161] The pointing device 80 is capable of entering analogue data byoperating the operating section 14 to horizontally shift it on the basesection 82, in a way similar to the pointing device 10. In this respect,the elastic part 22 of the operating section 14 is capable of acting toreadily and correctly return the holding part 20 to the home position inthe horizontal shifting range. Additionally, in the pointing device 80,it is possible for the operator to push the operating surface 58 of theoperating section 14 downward with, e.g., his finger in the homeposition as shown in FIG. 8, and to force the bottom end of thecircumferential wall 48 of the holding part 20 against the elastic beams88, so as to make or close the switch mechanism 84 located beneath theelastic beams 88. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9,when the operating section 14 is pressed downward, the respectiveelastic beams 88 are elastically bent about the radial outer or proximalfixed ends thereof, and thereby the bump 92 formed on one elastic beam88 pushes the underlying switch mechanism 84 to actuate the latter.

[0162] When the switch mechanism 84 is actuated to make or close, theCPU on the circuit board 24 processes a click signal thus generated fromthe switch mechanism 84 and outputs the same to the data processingcircuit in electronic equipment into which the pointing device 80 isinstalled. In this manner, it is possible to perform, e.g., a clickoperation for a pointer on a display screen in electronic equipment, bypressing the operating section 14 downward at the home position. Whenthe operator releases a pressing force in the pushed-down position asshown in FIG. 9, the elastic beams 88 elastically recover the initialflat profiles, so that the switch mechanism 84 is broken or opened andthe operating section 14 returns to the home position of FIG. 8. In thisregard, to prevent the operator from unintentionally actuating theswitch mechanism 84 during the horizontal shifting operation of theoperating section 14 by an operating force applied to the operatingsection 14, it is preferred to properly select the materials of thesupport member 86 and/or the dimension of the elastic beams 88, so as tosuitably adjust the elastic biasing force of the elastic beams 88.

[0163] A pointing device including the above-described switch mechanismmay be embodied in a different way. FIGS. 10 and 11 show such a pointingdevice 100, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention,in an exploded perspective view and an assembled sectional view,respectively. The pointing device 100 has substantially the samestructure as the pointing device 80 of the third embodiment, except forthe constitution of a support member joined to a circuit board of a basesection for actuating a switch mechanism, and thus correspondingcomponents are denoted by common reference numerals and an explanationthereof is not repeated.

[0164] The pointing device 100 includes a base section 102, an operatingsection 14 supported on the base section 102 and shiftable in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 102, a magnet 16arranged in or carried on the operating section 14, a plurality ofmagneto-electro transducers 18 arranged in or carried on the basesection 102 at locations close to the magnet 16, and a switch mechanism84 arranged between the base section 102 and the operating section 14.The base section 102 includes a circuit board 24, on which electroniccomponents including a CPU (not shown) are mounted, a first supportmember 104 fixedly joined to the circuit board 24, a second supportmember 108 supported on the first support member 106 through a separateelastic member 106 in an elastically movable manner, and a cover member36 fixedly joined to the circuit board 24 so as to substantially coveror hide the first support member 104.

[0165] The first support member 104 includes integrally a plurality(four, in the drawing) of arcuate upright walls 110 respectively locatedalong a common circle at regular circumferential intervals, the arcuatewalls 110 defining a circular center opening. The first support member104 is further provided integrally at an outer periphery thereof with aplurality (four, in the drawing) of elastic hooks 112 projecting awayfrom the walls 110 and is securely assembled with the circuit board 24at a predetermined position thereon by using the elastic hooks 112. Theelastic member 106, formed from, e.g., a compression coil spring, isarranged to coaxially surround all of the arcuate walls 110 of the firstsupport member 104.

[0166] The second support member 108 includes, integrally, a circularsupport portion 114 and a plurality (four, in the drawing) of radialflange portions 116 respectively extending outward from the outerperiphery of the support portion 114 and located at regularcircumferential intervals. The support portion 114 of the second supportmember 108 is shaped and dimensioned so as to be closely and smoothlyreceived in the center opening defined by the arcuate walls 110 of thefirst support member 104 in an axially slidable manner. The flangeportions 116 are shaped and dimensioned so as to be closely and smoothlyreceived in circumferential gaps between the respective adjacent arcuatewalls 110 of the first support member 104 in an axially slidable manner.

[0167] When the first and second support members 104, 108 are properlyassembled together, the flange portions 116 of the second support member108 are laid on the top of the elastic member 106 surrounding thearcuate walls 110 of the first support member 108. In this state, thesupport portion 114 of the second support member 108 is located at aposition spaced from the surface 24 a of the circuit board 24. Thesupport portion 114 is provided on an upper side thereof, facing awayfrom the circuit board 24, with a flat circular support surface 114 aextending substantially parallel to the surface 24 a of the circuitboard 24 during non-load condition of the elastic member 106. Thesupport surface 114 a serves to support the holding part 20 slidably inthe desired horizontal direction at a position projecting from thesurface 24 a of the circuit board 24.

[0168] The flange portions 116 of the second support member 108 arerespectively provided on the radial inner ends thereof with arcuatefaces respectively extending to surround the support surface 114 a. Thearcuate faces of the flange portions 116, as well as the arcuate walls110 of the first support member 104, project to a position higher thanthe support surface 114 a in relation to the surface 24 a of the circuitboard 24, and thereby define a horizontal shifting range of the holdingpart 20 of the operating section 14. The center axis of a generallycylindrical face formed by the arcuate faces of the flange portions 116and the arcuate walls 110 passes through the geometrical center of thesupport surface 114 a, defines a center axis P of the pointing device100, and thus defines a home position in the horizontal shifting rangeof the holding part 20 on the support surface 114 a. Also, the supportportion 114 of the second support member 108 is provided with a bump 118as a pushing point, locally protruding from a back side opposite to thesupport surface 114 a on the center axis P. The holding part 20 iscapable of shifting, in a parallel translation manner, on the supportsurface 114 a of the second support member 108 so as to betwodimensionally slidable over 360 degrees about the center axis P, withthe distal or lower end of the circumferential wall 48 of the largerdiameter portion being uniformly abutted to the support surface 114 a.

[0169] The pointing device 100 is capable of entering analogue data byoperating the operating section 14 to horizontally shift it on the basesection 102, in a way similar to the pointing device 10. In thisrespect, the elastic part 22 of the operating section 14 is capable ofacting to readily and correctly return the holding part 20 to the homeposition in the horizontal shifting range. Additionally, in the pointingdevice 100, it is possible for the operator to push the operatingsurface 58 of the operating section 14 downward with, e.g., his fingerin the home position as shown in FIG. 11, and to force the bottom end ofthe circumferential wall 48 of the holding part 20 against the supportportion 114 of the second support member 108, so as to make or close theswitch mechanism 84 located beneath the support portion 114. In theillustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, when the operating section14 is pressed downward, the separate elastic member 106 is elasticallycompressed through the flange portions 116 of the second support member108, and thereby the bump 118 formed on the support portion 114 pushesthe underlying switch mechanism 84 to actuate the latter.

[0170] When the operator releases a pressing force in the pushed-downposition as shown in FIG. 12, the elastic member 106 elasticallyrecovers the initial profile, so that the switch mechanism 84 is brokenor opened and the operating section 14 returns to the home position ofFIG. 11. In this regard, to prevent the operator from unintentionallyactuating the switch mechanism 84 during the horizontal shiftingoperation of the operating section 14 by an operating force applied tothe operating section 14, it is preferred to suitably adjust the springconstant of the elastic member 106.

[0171] The pointing devices 10, 60, 80, 100, as several embodiments ofthe invention described above, may be variously changed and modified.For example, the operating section 14 may have a structure wherein theholding part 20 and the elastic part 22 are formed integrally with eachother from mutually different materials, instead of the above-describedstructure wherein the holding and elastic parts 20, 22 are formedindependently from each other as separate members of different materialsand are securely assembled together. FIG. 13 shows such a modificationof the pointing device 10, wherein the holding part 20 and the covermember 36 are individually produced from same or different resinousmaterial(s), and the elastic part 22 is integrally molded from a rubbermaterial on these parts 20, 36 through an insert molding process. Thisconfiguration possesses several advantages in that it is possible toimprove a joint strength between the first connecting portion 52 of theelastic part 22 and the smaller diameter portion 56 of the holding part20, and that it is possible to facilitate an assembling process of thepointing device because the elastic part 22 is formed integrally withthe cover member 36 at the second connecting portion 54.

[0172] The above configuration may be further modified so that, as shownin FIG. 14, the holding part 20 is provided adjacent to the smallerdiameter portion 56 with an extension 120 penetrating outward throughthe first connecting portion 52 of the elastic member 22, and that a keytop 122 formed as a separate member is attached to the extension 120independently from the elastic part 22. The key top 122 is provided onthe outside thereof with an operating surface 124, on which an operatortouches with, e.g., his finger for the shifting operation of theoperating section 14. In this modification, when the holding and elasticparts 20, 22 are integrally molded as described above, it is possible toensure a sufficient joint strength between the first connecting portion52 of the elastic part 22 and the smaller diameter portion 56 of theholding part 20. Also, it is possible to firmly and securely couple thekey top 122 to the holding part 20, by only press-fitting the extension120 of the holding part 20 into a recess 126 formed in a bottom side ofthe key top 122. According to this configuration, it is possible toimprove an appearance or design of the pointing device by printingvarious marks or patterns on the outer surface of the key top 122 and/orby coloring the key top 122.

[0173] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 15, the operating section 14 maybe structured so that the holding part 20 and the elastic part 22 areformed integrally with each other from mutually identical materials suchas a rubber. This configuration serves to reduce the number ofcomponents of the operating section 14, and thus improves productivityfor assembling the pointing device. Furthermore, it is not necessary toconsider a joint strength between the first connecting portion 52 of theelastic part 22 and the holding part 20, so that it is possible tosignificantly reduce the dimension of the operating section 14.

[0174] Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 20, an auxiliary elastic partmay be arranged between the base section and the operating section forassisting the elastic part of the operating section in a home-positionrecovering function. For example, in the modification of the pointingdevice 10 as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, a plate spring 128, acting as theauxiliary elastic part, is arranged between the support member 26 of thebase section 12 and the holding part 20 of the operating section 14. Theplate spring 128 includes an annular base portion 130 and a plurality(four, in the drawing) of arms 132 disposed at regular intervals alongan inner peripheral edge of the base portion 130, the arms 132 extendingradially inward from the base portion 130 while being convexly bentrelative to the center axis P. The base portion 130 of the plate spring128 is shaped and dimensioned so as to come into uniform contact withthe inner face of the cylindrical wall 30 of the support member 26 andto be laid on the support surface 28 a.

[0175] When the components of the modified pointing device of the platespring 128 are abutted at free ends thereof onto the circumferentialwall 48 of the larger diameter portion of the holding part 20. During acondition where both of the elastic part 22 and the plate spring 128 arebalanced, the operating section 14 is located at a home position on thebase section 12 (FIG. 17). When the operating section 14 is horizontallyshifted from the home position of FIG. 17, the major portion 50 of theelastic part 22 and the certain arm or arms 132 of the plate spring 128are elastically deformed in correspondence to the shifting direction andamount of the holding part 20, and thereby elastically biasing, incooperation with each other, the holding part 20 in a direction oppositeto the shifting direction (FIG. 18).

[0176] From a data input position as shown in FIG. 18, when the operatortakes his finger away from the operating section 14 to release anoperating force, the holding part 20 together with the magnet 16immediately start to shift toward the home position, due to the springbiasing force generated in both of the major portion 50 of the elasticpart 22 and the certain arm(s) 132 of the plate spring 128, and thusreturn to the home position at an instant when the elastic part 22 andthe plate spring 128 recover the balanced state thereof. In this manner,the provision of the plate spring 128 as the auxiliary elastic part mayimprove the response and accuracy of the returning motion of the holdingpart 20 toward the home position in the horizontal shifting range. Theplate spring 128 also makes it possible to suppress the degradation ofthe operability due to age deterioration of the rubber elastic part 22.

[0177] As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a coil spring 134 having a generallyflat spiral shape may be used as the auxiliary elastic part, instead ofthe plate spring 128. In this arrangement, the coil spring 134 is snuglyfitted at an outer end length 136 thereof inside the cylindrical wall 30of the support member 26 and at an inner end length 138 thereof outsidethe circumferential wall 48 of the holding part 20. The circumferentialwall 48 of the holding part 20 is provided at the bottom end thereofwith a bead 140, onto which the inner end length 138 of the coil spring134 is engaged. During a condition where both of the elastic part 22 andthe coil spring 134 are balanced, the operating section 14 is located ata home position on the base section 12 (FIG. 20). When the operatingsection 14 is horizontally shifted from the home position of FIG. 20,the major portion 50 of the elastic part 22 and the coil spring 134 areelastically deformed in correspondence to the shifting direction andamount of the holding part 20, and thereby elastically biasing, incooperation with each other, the holding part 20 in a direction oppositeto the shifting direction.

[0178] As will be understood from the above description, the pointingdevice with a magneto-electro transducer, according to the invention, iscapable of reducing the outside dimension thereof to such a degree as topermit the pointing device to be installed into various portableinformation apparatuses for hand-held operation, such as electronicnotebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, etc.,without deteriorating the operability of the operating section. In thecase where the pointing device is installed in such a portableinformation apparatus, it is required to stably and effectively connectthe pointing device with the main circuit board (or a mounting board) ofthe information apparatus in both electrical and mechanical way,regardless of the relatively narrow interior space of the casing of theportable apparatus.

[0179]FIGS. 21 and 22 show a pointing device 150, according to the fifthembodiment of the present invention, having superior properties in theelectrical and mechanical connection structure. In this regard, thepointing device 150 has substantially the same construction as thepointing device 80 of the third embodiment as described, except for theelectrical and mechanical connection structure, and the correspondingcomponents are thus denoted by common reference numerals and anexplanation thereof is not repeated.

[0180] The pointing device 150 includes two connectors 152 forelectrically connecting magneto-electro transducers 18 and a switchmechanism 84, mounted on the circuit board 24 of the base section 82,with a main circuit board (or a mounting board) M of electronicequipment to which the pointing device 150 is installed. Each connector152 includes an insulating member 154 and a plurality of terminals 156carried in an array on the insulating member 154 and located at regularintervals. The circuit board 24 having a flat rectangular-plate shape isprovided in a region adjacent to an outer periphery thereof with aplurality of through holes 158. The through holes 158 are formed andarranged on lines along a pair of opposed edges of the circuit board 24,to which the elastic hooks 44 of the cover member 36 are not engaged, atregular intervals corresponding to the arrays of the terminals 156 ofthe connectors 152. The through holes 158 are electrically connectedwith the magneto-electro transducers 18 and the switch mechanism 84 onthe circuit board 24 via, e.g., a printed circuit.

[0181] The insulating member 154 of each connector 152 is a squarebar-shaped member integrally molded from a resinous material through,e.g., an insert molding process so as to integrally embed the terminals156 in the bar-shaped member. Each terminal 156 is formed from apin-shaped metal piece stamped out through a press process by bending itinto an L-shape. Each terminal 156 is securely supported in theinsulating member 154 and positioned so that one end 156 a thereofprojects from a top face 154 a of the insulating member 154 and anotherend 156 b projects from a lateral face 154 b of the insulating member154. The insulating member 154 of each connector 152 is provided on thetop face 154 a with positioning pins 160 at respective opposite endregions outside of the array of terminals. On the other hand, thecircuit board 24 is provided with positioning holes 162 for receivingthe pins 160, at respective opposite end regions outside of each arrayof through holes 158.

[0182] Each connector 152 is mounted onto the circuit board 24 in acondition where the positioning pins 160 on the insulating member 154are respectively fitted into the positioning holes 162 in the circuitboard 24 and the ends 156 a of the terminals 156 are individuallyinserted into the through holes 158 in the circuit board 24. Theconnector 152 is oriented so that the other ends 156 b of the terminals156 project outside of the circuit board 24. In this state, therespective terminals 156 are individually fixed at the ends 156 athereof to the corresponding through holes 158 by solders 164, so as tobe electrically connected to the magneto-electro transducers 18 and theswitch mechanism 84. Then, the connector 152 is mounted onto themounting board M through solders 166 in a condition where the other ends156 b of the respective terminals 156 are individually laid oncorresponding electrodes (not shown) formed on the surface of themounting board M.

[0183] As will be understood from the above, the connector 152 has anextremely simple structure wherein the terminals 156 are embedded in thebar-shaped insulating member 154, which advantageously facilitates areduction in a total size and a terminal pitch. Also, the structure inwhich the terminals 156 are individually fixed to the correspondingthrough holes 158 in the circuit board 24 effectively and advantageouslyreduces surface areas on the circuit board 24 required for the fixationof the terminals 156, in comparison with a structure wherein terminalsare soldered with electrode pads. Accordingly, in the case where thepointing device 150 is installed into a portable information apparatus,it is possible to stably and effectively connect the pointing device 150with the main circuit board of the information apparatus in anelectrical way, in the relatively narrow interior space of the casing ofthe portable apparatus.

[0184] In the illustrated embodiment, the pointing device 150 furtherincludes a pair of fitting members 168 acting as a mechanical connectingstructure for reinforcing the electrical and mechanical connectionthrough the solders between the connectors 152 and the mounting board M.Each fitting member 168, formed through, e.g., a stamping and bendingprocess from a sheet metal, is integrally provided at one end with ahook portion 170 and at the other end with a leg portion 172. On theother hand, the support member 86 of the base section 82 is providedalong opposed edges thereof with a pair of hook receptacles 174extending outward.

[0185] When the pointing device 150 is mounted to the mounting board M,the fitting members 168 are fitted to the support member 86 with therespective hook portions 170 being hooked onto the corresponding hookreceptacles 174, after the connectors 152 are soldered as describedabove. In this state, the leg portions 172 of the fitting members 168are fixed by solders 176 to the surface of the mounting board M atdesired positions thereon. In this manner, the pointing device 150 isfirmly fixed and stably held on the mounting board M against anoperating force applied by an operator to the operating section 14.

[0186] In the pointing device 150, the circuit board 24 may be providedin association with the respective through holes 158 with lands havingspecific profiles, which can effectively increase a mounting arearequired for mounting various electronic parts on the circuit board 24.As shown in FIG. 23, for example, the circuit board 24 is provided onthe surface 24 a with lands 178 having specific profiles, respectivelyadjacent to opening edges 158 a of the through holes 158. A portion ofeach land 178, disposed between the opening edge 158 a of thecorresponding through hole 158 and the outer peripheral edge 24 c of thecircuit board 24, has a width dimension smaller than that of a remainingportion of this land 178. The lands 178 having the above profiles allowfor the through holes 158 to be formed close to the outer edge 24 c ofthe circuit board 24 as much as possible, which causes an effectiveincrease of the mounting area for electronic parts on the circuit board24.

[0187] An advantageous method for producing an assembled structure ofthe circuit board 24 and the connectors 152, the connectors 152 beingconnected to the through holes 158 with the lands 178 having specificprofiles, is described below with reference to FIGS. 24 to 26.

[0188] First, as shown in FIG. 24, an unfinished board structure of thecircuit board 24, including a mounting region 180 on which electricalparts (not shown) are capable of being mounted and a pair of disposalregions 182 adjacent to the mounting region 180 along the opposed endsthereof, is provided. The disposal regions 182 are specific portions towhich no electronic part is mounted and no circuit is formed, and areused for the mechanical support and positioning of the circuit board 24during a period when the circuit board 24 is conveyed in a generalmounting process of electronic parts. On the other hand, a pair ofconnectors 152 as described are provided.

[0189] Next, a plurality of through holes 158 with lands are formed inthe mounting region 180 of the circuit board 24 along boundary lines 184between the mounting region 180 and the disposal regions 182, in such amanner that each annular land 178 extends continuously from the mountingregion 180 to the adjacent disposal region 182. In this regard, eachthrough hole 158 may be formed as a double-sided plated-through holehaving lands 178 on the both sides of the circuit board 24, as shown inFIG. 25A, through a conventional method of manufacturing a printedcircuit board. It is also advantageous that, as shown in FIG. 25B,linear grooves 186 are formed on the both sides of the circuit board 24so as to extend along the boundary lines 184.

[0190] Then, the terminals 156 of the connectors 152 are individuallyinserted at the ends 156 a thereof into the through holes 158, and aresoldered to the corresponding lands 178. As a result, the connectors 152are fixed to the mounting region 180 of the circuit board 24 having thedisposal regions 182. Finally, the disposal regions 182 are separatedfrom the mounting region 180 by breaking the board on the grooves 186formed along the boundary lines 184, while leaving the connectors 152attached to the mounting region 180. In this manner, as shown in FIG.26, the circuit board 24 including a pair of connectors 152 mountedalong a pair of opposed outer edges 24 c is produced.

[0191] In the above configuration, each of the through holes 158 withlands as described may be formed so as to partially open in the outeredge 24 c of the circuit board 24, on the assumption that the fixingstrength of the terminal 156 is surely and stably obtained by the solder164. In this case, a C-shaped land is provided for each through hole158.

[0192] While several preferred embodiments have been described withreference to the drawings, it should be noted that the present inventionmay have various forms other than the illustrated embodiments. Forexample, the characteristic structure of the operating section of thepointing device according to the invention may be effectively applied ina pointing device in which a positional correlation between the magnet16 and the plural magneto-electro transducers 18 is reverse to theillustrated configuration, that is, wherein the magneto-electrotransducers 18 provided in the operating section 14 are shifted relativeto the magnet 16 provided in the base section 12, 62, 82, 102. In thisalternative arrangement, it will be expected to obtain the sameparticular effects as in the illustrated embodiments. Also, themanufacturing method of the assembled structure of a circuit board and aconnector, according to the invention, may be applied not only to thepointing device 150 but also to board-connecting structures in variouselectronic equipment.

[0193] It will be appreciated that a pointing device with amagneto-electro transducer, according to the present invention, may beinstalled, e.g., in a folding-type portable information apparatus suchas a mobile phone, which includes a display and a keyboard, connectedwith each other through a hinge joint. In this case, it is desirable todecrease the projecting heights of various switches and the pointingdevice from the surface of a circuit board as much as possible, from theviewpoint of an effective reduction in entire thickness of the portableinformation apparatus in its folded mode, and thus of a significantimprovement of the portability of the latter. FIGS. 27 to 29 show apointing device 190 having a low-profile structure, according to thesixth embodiment of the present invention, which may be preferablyinstalled in the keyboard of the folding-type portable informationapparatus. The pointing device 190 also has substantially the same basicstructure as the pointing device 10 of the first embodiment from theviewpoint of an operating function.

[0194] The pointing device 190 includes a base section 192, an operatingsection 194 supported on the base section 192 shiftably in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 192, a disk-shapedmagnet (such as a permanent magnet) 196 arranged in or carried on theoperating section 194, and a plurality of magneto-electro transducers(such as Hall-effect elements) 198 arranged in or carried on the basesection 192 at locations close to the magnet 196. The operating section194 includes a first or holding part 200 securely holding the magnet 196and supported on the base section 192 shiftably in a desired horizontaldirection relative to the base section 192, and a second or elastic part202 connected to the holding part 200 and elastically biasing theholding part 200 toward a home position in a horizontal shifting rangeduring a period when the holding part 200 is horizontally shifted alongthe base section 192.

[0195] The base section 192 includes a circuit board 204, on whichelectronic components including a CPU (not shown) are mounted, and asupport member 206 fixedly joined to the circuit board 204. The circuitboard 204 has a generally flat major surface 204 a. The support member206 is a plate-like element having a generally square profile as shownin a plan view, and is mounted on the surface 204 a of the circuit board204 with substantially no gap defined between the support member 206 andthe surface 204 a. The support member 206 includes a support portion208, in a generally circular center recessed region, for supporting theholding part 200 of the operating section 194 slidably in the desiredhorizontal direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the “horizontaldirection” means a direction substantially parallel to the surface 204 aof the circuit board 204, and thus the support portion 208 of thesupport member 206 is provided on an upper side thereof, facing awayfrom the circuit board 204, with a flat circular support surface 208 aextending substantially parallel to the surface 204 a of the circuitboard 204. The support surface 208 a serves to support the holding part200 slidably in the desired horizontal direction at a positionprojecting from the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204.

[0196] The support member 206 further includes a cylindrical wall 210extending in such a direction as to surround the support surface 208 a,the wall 210 defining a horizontal shifting range of the holding part200 of the operating section 194. The wall 210 is formed integrally withthe support portion 208 to project to a position higher than the supportsurface 208 a in relation to the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204.The elastic part 202 is fitted to the support member 206 with aperipheral portion of the elastic part 202 surrounding the cylindricalwall 210, as described later. A center axis of the cylindrical wall 210,passing through a geometrical center of the support surface 208 a,constitutes a center axis P of the pointing device 190 and defines ahome position in the horizontal shifting range of the holding part 200along the support surface 208 a. The support member 206 is furtherprovided integrally at a generally center of a back side of the supportportion 208, opposite to the support surface 208 a, with a positioningpin 212 projecting opposite to the wall 210. The support member 206 issecurely assembled with the circuit board 204 at a predeterminedposition thereon, with the positioning pin 212 being fitted into anaperture 214 formed correspondingly in the circuit board 204. In thisrespect, an adhesive may be additionally used for firmly fix the supportmember 206 to the circuit board 204.

[0197] Four magneto-electro transducers 198 are mounted on the backsurface 204 b opposite to the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204 atregular intervals in a circumferential direction about the center axisP. This configuration of the magneto-electro transducers 198 is providedfor allowing the pointing device 190 to output an analog data signal ina two-dimensional coordinate system.

[0198] The base section 192 further includes a cover member 216 fixedlyjoined to the support member 206 so as to substantially cover or hide anouter peripheral region 206 a of the support member 206. The covermember 216 is a thin plate element having a generally square profile asshown in a plan view, corresponding to the support member 206, andincludes an end plate 216 a defining, at a center region thereof, agenerally circular center opening 218, through which a major operatingportion of the operating section 194, as described later, is inserted ina horizontally shiftable manner. The cover member 216 is furtherprovided integrally at an outer periphery thereof with extensions 220disposed along four sides of the end plate 216 a and extending generallyorthogonal to the latter. Each extension 220 is provided with a fittingaperture 222 penetrating through the thickness of the extension 220. Thecover member 216 is securely assembled with the support member 206, withlaterally projecting plural pawls 224, formed respectively on fourperipheral sides of the support member 206, being fitted into thecorresponding apertures 222 of the extensions 220 in a snap-fit mannerusing the elastic deformation of the extensions 220. The cover member216 serves to retain the operating section 194 so as to prevent thelatter from being removed from the base section 192, in a conditionwhere the major operating portion of the operating section 194 projectsoutward through the center opening 218. The cover member 216 having theabove structure may be made of a desired sheet metal.

[0199] In the illustrated embodiment, the holding part 200 and theelastic part 202 of the operating section 194 are produced independentlyfrom each other as separate members, and are securely assembledtogether. The holding part 200 is a hollow cylindrical member, and hasrigidity for substantially eliminating a deformation thereof during aperiod when the operating section 194 is operated to shift in thehorizontal direction on the base section 192. The holding part 200includes a cylindrical outer circumferential wall 226 and an annularflange portion 228 extending radially outward from an axial or lower endof the circumferential wall 226, a recess 226 a for accommodating themagnet 196 being provided inside the circumferential wall 226. Themagnet 196 may be fixed in the recess 226 a of the holding part 200 byadhering or press-fitting the magnet 196. The holding part 200 iscapable of shifting, in a parallel translation manner, on the supportsurface 208 a of the support member 206 of the base section 192 so as tobe two-dimensionally slidable over 360 degrees about the center axis P,with an axial end face of the flange portion 228 being uniformly abuttedto the support surface 208 a. This configuration can advantageouslyreduce friction in an interface between the holding part 200 and thesupport surface 208 a, and thereby improves the horizontal shiftingoperability of the operating section 194.

[0200] A yoke 230 is fitted to the holding part 200 and is interposedbetween the magnet 196 and the elastic part 202. The yoke 230 is acap-shaped member having a generally circular profile in a plan view,and includes a disk-shaped end wall 230 a and a cylindricalcircumferential wall 230 b axially extending from the outer periphery ofthe end wall 230 a. The yoke 230 covers or hides the magnet 196 receivedin the holding part 200 with the end wall 230 a located over the magnet196, and is fitted to the holding part 200 with the circumferential wall230 b encircling the circumferential wall 226 of the holding part 200.The yoke 230 may be fixed on the circumferential wall 226 of the holdingpart 200 by adhering or press-fitting the yoke 230. The yoke 230 is madeof a desired magnetic metal, and serves to positively close a magneticcircuit between the magnet 196 and the magneto-electro transducers 198,so as to prevent a magnetic leakage through the elastic part 202 to theoutside. The yoke 230 is thus effectively and advantageouslyincorporated into, especially, the low-profile type pointing device 190.

[0201] The elastic part 202 is a basin-shaped member, and has elasticityfor permitting a relatively easy elastic deformation thereof during aperiod when the operating section 194 is operated to shift in thehorizontal direction on the base section 192. The elastic part 202 isprovided integrally with a major portion 232 extending around theholding part 200 with a gap defined therebetween, a first connectingportion 234 connected to the holding part 200 at one end of the majorportion 232 and a second connecting portion 236 connected to the basesection 192 at another end of the major portion 232. The major portion232 of the elastic part 202 has a truncated conical or dome-shapedprofile for surrounding substantially an entire circumference of theholding part 200 and is disposed coaxially with the holding part 200during a non-load condition of the elastic part 202. Accordingly, theelastic part 202 is elastically deformed in the major portion 232 due tothe horizontal shifting motion of the holding part 200 on the basesection 192, and thereby exerts, in the major portion 232, an evenelastic biasing force irrespective of the horizontal shifting directionof the holding part 200.

[0202] The first connecting portion 234 of the elastic part 202 extendsintegrally and projects axially convexly from a smaller diameter end ofthe major portion 232 having a truncated conical profile, so as to forma recess inside the first connecting portion 234, into which the yoke130 attached to the holding part 200 is securely fitted. The firstconnecting portion 234 of the elastic part 202 may be fixed by anadhesion or a press-fit with the yoke 230. The first connecting portion234 extends to cover the end and circumferential walls 230 a, 230 b ofthe yoke 230 in close contact therewith, and an operating surface 238,on which an operator touches with, e.g., his finger for the shiftingoperation of the operating section 194, is formed on the outer surfaceof the first connecting portion 234.

[0203] The second connecting portion 236 of the elastic part 202 extendsintegrally and projects axially and radially from a larger diameter endof the major portion 232 having a truncated conical profile, so as toform a thickened peripheral flange capable of being securely held andanchored between an outside annular groove region 210 a of thecylindrical wall 210 of the support member 206 and the end plate 216 aof the cover member 216, the members 206, 216 constituting the basesection 192. The first and second connecting portions 234, 236 serve tofixedly connect the elastic part 202 to the holding part 200 and thebase section 192, respectively, without substantially being deformedduring the horizontal shifting motion of the holding part 200 on thebase section 192.

[0204] The elastic part 202 may be made from various elastic materials,such as a synthetic rubber or a natural rubber. In consideration of areflow soldering performed in a mounting process of the pointing device190 onto a main circuit board of electronic equipment, it isadvantageous that the elastic part 202 is made from a material having acertain heat resistance, such as a silicone rubber, for preventing aquality deterioration thereof in a high temperature environment. On theother hand, the holding part 200 may be made of plastic, metal, and soforth.

[0205] When the above-described components are properly assembled witheach other, the operating section 194 is arranged in such aconfiguration that the major portion 232 and the first connectingportion 234 of the elastic part 202 are inserted through the centeropening 218 of the cover member 216 of the base section 192 in ahorizontally shiftable manner, and that the first connecting portion 234connected through the yoke 230, to the holding part 200, is located toproject outward from the end plate 216 a of the cover member 216 of thebase section 192. In this condition, an operator can manipulate theoperating surface 238 provided in the first connecting portion 234 ofthe elastic part 202 with, e.g., his finger, so as to horizontally shiftthe holding part 200 on the base section 192.

[0206] As shown in FIG. 29, during a period when the elastic part 202 ofthe operating section 194 is a non-loaded or balanced condition, acenter axis Q of the holding part 200 and the magnet 196 held in therecess 226 a coincides with the center axis P of the pointing device190. In this state, the holding part 200 is located at a home positionin the horizontal shifting range on the support member 206 of the basesection 192, and four magneto-electro transducers 198 mounted on thecircuit board 204 are positioned equidistantly from the magnet 196. Fromthis state, when the operator touches the operating surface 238 with hisfinger and shifts in a parallel translation manner the holding part 200in a desired horizontal direction, the major portion 232 of the elasticpart 202 is elastically deformed in correspondence with the shiftingdirection and shifting amount or distance of the holding part 200 in acircumferentially uneven mode. As a result, the elastic part 202 exertsa resultant elastic force in the major portion 232 in its entirety, soas to bias the holding part 200 in a direction opposite to the shiftingdirection. The operator thus manipulates the operating section 194 tohorizontally shift it against a spring biasing force generated by themajor portion 232 of the elastic part 202.

[0207] As described above, the pointing device 190 includes the base andoperating sections 192, 194 having substantially the same function asthe base and operating sections 12, 14 in the pointing device 10, sothat it is possible to enter analogue information corresponding to theshifting direction and shifting amount of the operating section 194, ina shifting operation similar to the pointing device 10. Particularly, inthe pointing device 190, the respective components of the base andoperating sections 192, 194 are reduced in thickness, and themagneto-electro transducers 198 are mounted on the back surface 204 b ofthe circuit board 204, which provides a lower-profile construction forthe pointing device 190 in its entirety, in comparison with the pointingdevice 10.

[0208] FIGS. 30 to 32 show a pointing device 240, according to theseventh embodiment of the present invention, capable of having a profilelower than the above-described pointing device 190. The pointing device240 has substantially the same structure as the pointing device 190 ofthe sixth embodiment, except for the constitution of a support memberjoined to a circuit board of a base section, and thus correspondingcomponents are denoted by the common reference numerals and anexplanation thereof is not repeated.

[0209] The pointing device 240 includes a base section 242, an operatingsection 194 supported on the base section 242 shiftably in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 242, a magnet 196carried on the operating section 194, and a plurality of magneto-electrotransducers 198 carried on the base section 242 at locations close tothe magnet 196. The base section 242 includes a circuit board 204, onwhich electronic components including a CPU (not shown) are mounted, asupport member 244 fixedly joined to the circuit board 204, and a covermember 216 fixedly joined to the support member 244 so as tosubstantially cover or hide an outer peripheral region 244 a of thesupport member 244.

[0210] The support member 244 is a plate-like element having a generallysquare profile as shown in a plan view, and is mounted on the surface204 a of the circuit board 204 with substantially no gap defined betweenthe support member 244 and the surface 204 a. The support member 244includes a support portion 246, in a generally circular center recessedregion, for supporting the holding part 200 of the operating section 194slidably in the desired horizontal direction. The support portion 246 ofthe support member 244 is provided on an upper side thereof, facing awayfrom the circuit board 204, with a flat circular support surface 246 aextending substantially parallel to the surface 204 a of the circuitboard 204. The support surface 246 a serves to support the holding part200 slidably in the desired horizontal direction at a positionprojecting from the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204.

[0211] The support member 244 further includes a plurality (four, in thedrawing) of arcuate grooves 248 extending in such a direction as tosurround the support surface 246 a, the grooves 248 defining ahorizontal shifting range of the holding part 200 of the operatingsection 194. The grooves 248 are recessed to a position lower than thesupport surface 246 a in relation to the surface 204 a of the circuitboard 204. In the illustrated embodiment, the support portion 246 andthe outer peripheral region 244 a of the support member 244 are joinedintegrally with each other through a plurality (four, in the drawing) ofjoint pieces 250 disposed at circumferential regular intervals aroundthe support surface 246 a, so that the grooves 248, spaced from eachother through the joint pieces 250 along a common circle around thesupport surface 246 a, are formed to penetrate through the thickness ofthe support member 244.

[0212] A center axis of the grooves 248, passing through a geometricalcenter of the support surface 246 a, constitutes a center axis P of thepointing device 240 and defines a home position in the horizontalshifting range of the holding part 200 along the support surface 246 a.The holding part 200 is capable of shifting, in a parallel translationmanner, on the support surface 246 a of the support member 244 so as tobe two-dimensionally slidable over 360 degrees about the center axis P,with an axial end face of the flange portion 228 being uniformly abuttedto the support surface 246 a.

[0213] The support member 244 is further provided integrally with apositioning pin 252 projecting from a back side of the support portion246, opposite to the support surface 246 a, generally at the centerthereof. The support member 244 is securely assembled with the circuitboard 204 at a predetermined position thereon, with the positioning pin252 being fitted into an aperture 214 formed correspondingly in thecircuit board 204. Further, the cover member 216 is securely assembledwith the support member 244, with laterally projecting plural pawls 254formed respectively on four peripheral sides of the support member 244being fitted into the corresponding apertures 222 of the extensions 220in a snap-fit manner.

[0214] The elastic part 202 is fitted to the base section 242 through aninterengagement between the second connecting portion 236 and thegrooves 248. That is, the second connecting portion 236 of the elasticpart 202 is inserted at the thickened peripheral flange thereof into thegrooves 248 of the support member 244, so as to be securely held andanchored between the grooves 248 and the end plate 216 a of the covermember 216. To this end, the second connecting portion 236 of theelastic part 202 is provided in the bottom face of the thickenedperipheral flange with a plurality of cut-outs 236 a for individuallyreceiving the joint pieces 250 of the support member 244, locatedcorrespondingly to the joint pieces 250. The first and second connectingportions 234, 236 of the elastic part 202 serve to fixedly connect theelastic part 202 to the holding part 200 and the base section 242,respectively, without substantially being deformed during the horizontalshifting motion of the holding part 200 on the base section 242.

[0215] The pointing device 240 is capable of entering analogue data byoperating the operating section 194 to horizontally shift it on the basesection 242, in a way similar to the pointing device 190. Particularly,the pointing device 240 adopts the construction wherein the supportmember 244 of the base section 242 is provided with the grooves 248recessed to a position lower than the support surface 246 a, instead ofthe cylindrical wall 210 formed in the support member 206 of thepointing device 190, and the elastic part 202 is fitted to the supportmember 244 with the second connecting portion 236 being inserted intothe grooves 248, so that it is possible to further reduce the thicknessof the support member 244. Accordingly, in the pointing device 240, itis possible to more effectively reduce the dimensions thereof,especially in a height direction, in comparison with the pointing device190.

[0216]FIGS. 33 and 34 show a pointing device 260, according to theeighth embodiment of the present invention, capable of having a profilelower than the above-described pointing device 240. The pointing device260 has substantially the same structure as the pointing device 190 ofthe sixth embodiment, except for the constitution of a base section, andthus corresponding components are denoted by the common referencenumerals and an explanation thereof is not repeated.

[0217] The pointing device 260 includes a base section 262, an operatingsection 194 supported on the base section 262 and shiftable in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 262, a magnet 196carried on the operating section 194, and a plurality of magneto-electrotransducers 198 carried on the base section 262 at locations close tothe magnet 196. The base section 262 includes a circuit board 264, onwhich electronic components including a CPU (not shown) are mounted, anda cover member 216 fixedly joined to the circuit board 204 so as tosecurely connect the elastic part 202 of the operating section 194 withthe base section 262. Therefore, no separate support member for slidablysupporting the holding part 200 of the operating section 194 is providedin the base section 262.

[0218] The circuit board 264 is provided in a desired circular region inthe surface 264 a thereof with a flat support surface 266 for supportingthe holding part 200 of the operating section 194 slidably in thedesired horizontal direction. The circuit board 264 is also providedwith a plurality (four, in the drawing) of arcuate slots 268 extendingin such a direction as to surround the support surface 266, the slots268 defining a horizontal shifting range of the holding part 200 of theoperating section 194. The slots 268 are located along a common circlearound the support surface 266 separately from each other, and areformed to penetrate through the thickness of the circuit board 264. Thecircuit board 264 is further provided as a part thereof with jointpieces 270 disposed between the circumferentially adjacent slots 268.

[0219] A center axis of the slots 268, passing through a geometricalcenter of the support surface 266, constitutes a center axis P of thepointing device 260 and defines a home position in the horizontalshifting range of the holding part 200 along the support surface 266.The holding part 200 is capable of shifting, in a parallel translationmanner, on the support surface 266 of the circuit board 264 so as to betwo-dimensionally slidable over 360 degrees about the center axis P,with an axial end face of the flange portion 228 being uniformly abuttedto the support surface 266. Four magneto-electro transducers 198 aremounted on the back surface 264 b opposite to the surface 264 a of thecircuit board 264 at regular intervals in a circumferential directionabout the center axis P. In this embodiment, the cover member 216includes inserts 272 projecting from the extensions 220 disposed alongfour sides of the end plate 216 a, instead of the apertures 222 (FIG.27). The cover member 216 is securely assembled with the circuit board204 with the inserts 272 being respectively inserted into slits 274formed correspondingly in the circuit board 264 and bent into a suitableshape.

[0220] The elastic part 202 is fitted to the base section 262 through aninterengagement between the second connecting portion 236 and the slots268. That is, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic part 202is inserted at the thickened peripheral flange thereof into the slots268 of the circuit board 264, so as to be securely held and anchoredbetween the slots 268 and the end plate 216 a of the cover member 216.To this end, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic part 202is provided in the bottom face of the thickened peripheral flange with aplurality of cut-outs 236 a for individually receiving the joint pieces270 of the circuit board 264, located correspondingly to the jointpieces 270. The first and second connecting portions 234, 236 of theelastic part 202 serve to fixedly connect the elastic part 202 to theholding part 200 and the base section 262, respectively, withoutsubstantially being deformed during the horizontal shifting motion ofthe holding part 200 on the base section 262.

[0221] The pointing device 260 is capable of entering analogue data byoperating the operating section 194 to horizontally shift it on the basesection 262, in a way similar to the pointing device 190, 240.Particularly, the pointing device 260 is constructed so that the supportmember 206, 244 is eliminated and the support surface 266 is formeddirectly in the surface 264 a of the circuit board 264 onto which theholding part 200 of the operating section 194 is directly placed, sothat it is possible to more effectively reduce the dimension thereof,especially in a height direction, in comparison with the pointing device190, 240.

[0222] FIGS. 35 to 37B show a pointing device 280, according to theninth embodiment of the present invention, having a low-profilestructure and a click function. The pointing device 280 hassubstantially the same structure as the pointing device 190 of the sixthembodiment, except for the constitution of a support member joined to acircuit board of a base section as well as the provision of a switchmechanism incorporated for an additional click operation, and thuscorresponding components are denoted by the common reference numeralsand an explanation thereof is not repeated. The pointing device 280 alsohas substantially the same basic structure as the pointing device 80 ofthe third embodiment from the viewpoint of an operating function.

[0223] The pointing device 280 includes a base section 282, an operatingsection 194 supported on the base section 282 shiftably in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 282, a magnet 196carried on the operating section 194, a plurality of magneto-electrotransducers 198 carried on the base section 282 at locations close tothe magnet 196, and a switch mechanism 284 arranged between the basesection 282 and the operating section 194. The base section 282 includesa circuit board 204, on which electronic components including a CPU (notshown) are mounted, a support member 286 fixedly joined to the circuitboard 204, and a cover member 216 fixedly joined to the support member286 so as to substantially cover or hide the outer peripheral region 286a of the support member 286.

[0224] The support member 286 is a plate-like element having a generallysquare profile as shown in a plan view, and includes integrally, in agenerally circular center recessed region thereof, a plurality (four, inthe drawing) of elastic beams 288 located at a position spaced from thesurface 204 a of the circuit board 204. The elastic beams 288 cooperatewith each other to constitute a support portion for supporting theholding part 200 of the operating section 194 slidably in the desiredhorizontal direction. The elastic beams 288 of the support member 286are provided respectively on upper sides thereof, facing away from thecircuit board 204, with flat support surfaces 288 a extendablesubstantially parallel to the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204during non-loaded condition of the elastic beams 288. The supportsurfaces 288 a serve to support the holding part 200 slidably in thedesired horizontal direction at a position projecting from the surface204 a of the circuit board 204.

[0225] The elastic beams 288 of the support member 286 extend in aradial direction about the center axis P of the pointing device 280, andare capable of being elastically bent or displaced, independently fromeach other, with the radial outer ends thereof being fixed.Particularly, in this embodiment, the elastic beams 288 are fixed at theradial outer ends thereof to the respective four corner regions of thegenerally square profile of the support member 286 and radially extendtherefrom, which makes it possible to provide a maximum length for eachelastic beam 288 even in the support member 286 having reduced size andheight. As a result, it is possible to increase the elasticity of theelastic beams 288 and to decrease a pressing force required foractuating the switch mechanism 284.

[0226] The support member 286 is further provided with fitting portions290 having generally sectorial shapes, each fitting portion 290extending between the proximal end regions of circumferentially adjacenttwo elastic beams 288. The fitting portions 290 are provided at theradial inner or distal ends thereof with arcuate upright walls 292respectively extending in such a direction as to surround the supportsurfaces 288 a of the elastic beams 288. The arcuate walls 292 areformed integrally with the fitting portions 290 so as to project to aposition higher than the support surfaces 288 a in relation to thesurface 204 a of the circuit board 204, and thereby define a horizontalshifting range of the holding part 200 of the operating section 194. Theelastic part 202 is fitted to the support member 286 with the secondconnecting portion 236 surrounding all of the arcuate walls 292 of thefitting portions 290, as described later. The arcuate walls 292 arelocated along a common circle about the center axis P, and thus thecenter axis P defines a home position in the horizontal shifting rangeof the holding part 200 on the support surfaces 288 a. The holding part200 is capable of shifting, in a parallel translation manner, on thesupport surfaces 288 a of the elastic beams 288 so as to betwo-dimensionally slidable over 360 degrees about the center axis P,with an axial end face of the flange portion 228 being uniformly abuttedto the support surfaces 288 a.

[0227] Desired one of the elastic beams 288 is provided, at the radialinner or free end thereof, with a bump 294 as a pushing point, locallyprotruding from a back side opposite to the support surface 288 a. Theelastic beam 288 with the bump 294 has a radial length larger than thoseof the other elastic beams 288, so as to extend across the center axis Pof the pointing device 280. As a result, the bump 294 is located on thecenter axis P of the pointing device 280.

[0228] The support member 286 is further provided integrally at the backsides of the mutually opposed fitting portions 290 with positioning pins296 projecting oppositely to the arcuate walls 292. The support member286 is securely assembled with the circuit board 204 at a predeterminedposition thereon, with the positioning pins 296 being fitted intoapertures 298 formed correspondingly in the circuit board 204. The covermember 216 is securely assembled with the support member 286, withlaterally projecting plural pawls 300 formed respectively on fourperipheral sides of the support member 286 being fitted into thecorresponding fitting apertures 222 of the extensions 220 in a snap-fitmanner.

[0229] The second connecting portion 236 of the elastic part 202 issecurely held and anchored at the thickened peripheral flange thereofbetween the outside annular groove regions 292 a of the respectivearcuate walls 292 of the support member 286 and the end plate 216 a ofthe cover member 216. The first and second connecting portions 234, 236of the elastic part 202 serve to fixedly connect the elastic part 202 tothe holding part 200 and the base section 282, respectively, withoutsubstantially being deformed during the horizontal shifting motion ofthe holding part 200 on the base section 282.

[0230] The switch mechanism 284 for additionally providing a clickfunction is mounted onto the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204within a space defined between the circuit board 204 and the elasticbeams 288 of the support member 286. The switch mechanism 284 has aknown make/break structure including a movable contact and a stationarycontact, the contacts being located substantially on the center axis Pof the pointing device 280. The movable contact of the switch mechanism284 is thus positioned just under the bump or pushing point 294 formedon one elastic beam 288 of the supporting member 286. Then, fourmagneto-electro transducers 198 are mounted on the back side 204 b ofthe circuit board 204, opposite to the switch mechanism 284, at regularintervals in a circumferential direction about the center axis P.

[0231] The switch mechanism 284 having various structures may be used,such as a mechanical switch including a spring-biased movable contact, amembrane switch including a pair of flexible circuit boards, and soforth. The switch mechanism 284 also may have a smaller dimension toallow the magneto-electro transducers 198 to be arranged in the spacebetween the circuit board 204 and the elastic beams 288.

[0232] In the pointing device 280, it is possible for the operator topush the operating surface 238 of the operating section 194 downwardwith, e.g., his finger in the home position as shown in FIGS. 37A and37B, and to force the flange portion 228 of the holding part 200 againstthe elastic beams 288, so as to make or close the switch mechanism 284located beneath the elastic beams 288. In the illustrated embodiment,when the operating section 194 is pressed downward, the respectiveelastic beams 288 are elastically bent about the radial outer orproximal fixed ends thereof, and thereby the bump 294 formed on thelonger elastic beam 288 pushes the underlying switch mechanism 284 toactuate the latter.

[0233] As described above, the pointing device 280 includes the base andoperating sections 282, 194 having substantially the same function asthe base and operating sections 82, 14 in the pointing device 80, sothat it is possible to enter analogue information corresponding to theshifting direction and shifting amount of the operating section 194, aswell as to perform, e.g., a click operation for a pointer on a displayscreen in electronic equipment into which the pointing device 280 isinstalled, in an operation similar to the pointing device 80.Particularly, in the pointing device 280, the respective components ofthe base and operating sections 282, 194 are reduced in thickness, whichprovides a lower-profile construction for the pointing device 280 in itsentirety, in comparison with the pointing device 80.

[0234] FIGS. 38 to 40 show a pointing device 310, according to the tenthembodiment of the present invention, capable of having a profile lowerthan the above-described pointing device 280. The pointing device 310has substantially the same structure as the pointing device 280 of theninth embodiment, except for the constitution of a support member joinedto a circuit board of a base section, and thus corresponding componentsare denoted by the common reference numerals and the explanation thereofis not repeated.

[0235] The pointing device 310 includes a base section 312, an operatingsection 194 supported on the base section 312 shiftably in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 312, a magnet 196carried on the operating section 194, a plurality of magneto-electrotransducers 198 carried on the base section 312 at locations close tothe magnet 196, and a switch mechanism 284 arranged between the basesection 312 and the operating section 194. The base section 312 includesa circuit board 204, on which electronic components including a CPU (notshown) are mounted, a support member 314 fixedly joined to the circuitboard 204, and a cover member 216 fixedly joined to the support member314 so as to substantially cover or hide the outer peripheral region 314a of the support member 314.

[0236] The support member 314 is a plate-like element having a generallysquare profile as shown in a plan view, and includes integrally, in agenerally circular center recessed region thereof, a plurality (four, inthe drawing) of elastic beams 316 located at a position spaced from thesurface 204 a of the circuit board 204. The elastic beams 316 cooperatewith each other to constitute a support portion for supporting theholding part 200 of the operating section 194 slidably in the desiredhorizontal direction. The elastic beams 316 of the support member 314are provided respectively on upper sides thereof, facing away from thecircuit board 204, with flat support surfaces 316 a extendablesubstantially parallel to the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204during non-load condition of the elastic beams 316. The support surfaces316 a serve to support the holding part 200 slidably in the desiredhorizontal direction at a position projecting from the surface 204 a ofthe circuit board 204.

[0237] The elastic beams 316 of the support member 314 extend in aradial direction about the center axis P of the pointing device 310, andare capable of being elastically bent or displaced, independently fromeach other, with the radial outer ends thereof being fixed.Particularly, in this embodiment, the elastic beams 316 are fixed at theradial outer ends thereof to the respective four corner regions of thegenerally square profile of the support member 314 and radially extendtherefrom, which makes it possible to provide a maximum length for eachelastic beam 316 even in the support member 314 having reduced size andheight. As a result, it is possible to increase the elasticity of theelastic beams 316 and to decrease a pressing force required foractuating the switch mechanism 284. Also, in this embodiment, all theelastic beams 316 have identical radial lengths and are disposedsymmetrically about the center axis P.

[0238] The support member 314 is further provided with fitting portions318 having generally sectorial shapes, each fitting portion 318extending between the proximal end regions of circumferentially adjacenttwo elastic beams 316. The fitting portions 318 are provided at theradial outer or proximal ends thereof with arcuate grooves 320 extendingin such a direction as to surround the support surfaces 316 a of theelastic beams 316. The grooves 320 are recessed to a position lower thanthe support surfaces 316 a in relation to the surface 204 a of thecircuit board 204, and thereby define a horizontal shifting range of theholding part 200 of the operating section 194. The arcuate grooves 320are located along a common circle about the center axis P, and thus thecenter axis P defines a home position in the horizontal shifting rangeof the holding part 200 on the support surfaces 316 a. The holding part200 is capable of shifting, in a parallel translation manner, on thesupport surfaces 316 a of the elastic beams 316 so as to betwo-dimensionally slidable over 360 degrees about the center axis P,with an axial end face of the flange portion 228 being uniformly abuttedto the support surfaces 316 a.

[0239] A desired one of the elastic beams 316 is provided at the radialinner or free end thereof with a bump 322 as a pushing point, locallyprotruding from a back side opposite to the support surface 316 a. Thebump 322 is located at a position radially displaced from the centeraxis P of the pointing device 310. On the other hand, the switchmechanism 284 mounted on the surface 204 a of the circuit board 204 ispositioned just under the bump 322 on one elastic beam 316 of thesupport member 314.

[0240] The support member 314 is further provided integrally at the backsides of the mutually opposed fitting portions 318 with positioning pins324 projecting opposite to the arcuate grooves 320. The support member314 is securely assembled with the circuit board 204 at a predeterminedposition thereon, with the positioning pins 324 being fitted intoapertures 298 formed correspondingly in the circuit board 204. The covermember 216 is securely assembled with the support member 314, withlaterally projecting plural pawls 326 formed respectively on fourperipheral sides of the support member 314 being fitted into thecorresponding fitting apertures 222 of the extensions 220 in a snap-fitmanner.

[0241] The elastic part 202 is fitted to the base section 312 through aninterengagement between the second connecting portion 236 and thegrooves 320. That is, the second connecting portion 236 of the elasticpart 202 is inserted at the thickened peripheral flange thereof into thegrooves 320 of the support member 314, so as to be securely held andanchored between the grooves 320 and the end plate 216 a of the covermember 216. To this end, the second connecting portion 236 of theelastic part 202 is provided in the bottom face of the thickenedperipheral flange with a plurality of cut-outs 236 a for individuallyreceiving the proximal end regions of the elastic beams 316 of thesupport member 314, located correspondingly to the elastic beams 316.The first and second connecting portions 234, 236 of the elastic part202 serve to fixedly connect the elastic part 202 to the holding part200 and the base section 312, respectively, without substantially beingdeformed during the horizontal shifting motion of the holding part 200on the base section 312.

[0242] The pointing device 310 is capable of entering analogue data byoperating the operating section 194 to horizontally shift it on the basesection 312, as well as of performing, e.g., a click operation for apointer on a display screen in electronic equipment into which thepointing device 310 is installed, in a way similar to the pointingdevice 280. Particularly, the pointing device 310 adopts theconstruction wherein the support member 314 of the base section 312 isprovided with the grooves 320 recessed to a position lower than thesupport surfaces 316 a, instead of the arcuate walls 290 formed in thesupport member 286 of the pointing device 280, and the elastic part 202is fitted to the support member 314 with the second connecting portion236 being inserted into the grooves 320, so that it is possible tofurther reduce the thickness of the support member 314. Accordingly, inthe pointing device 310, it is possible to more effectively reduce thedimension thereof, especially in a height direction, in comparison withthe pointing device 280.

[0243] The pointing device 310 may be modified, as shown in FIG. 39A, soas to form arcuate ribs 328 projecting respectively on the elastic beams316 and the fitting portions 318, for defining the horizontal shiftingrange of the holding part 200 of the operating section 194 on thesupport surfaces 316 a. The ribs 328 do not contribute the fixation ofthe elastic part 202, which makes it possible to reduce the height ofthe ribs 328 projecting from the support surfaces 316 a as much aspossible, and therefore, a reduction in thickness of the support member314 is not prevented due to the provision of the ribs 328.

[0244] Further, in the pointing device 310, all of the elastic beams 316provided in the support member 314 have shapes and dimensions identicalto each other and are symmetrically arranged about the center axis P, sothat elastic biasing forces generated from the respective elastic beams316 are balanced when the operator applies pressing force to theoperating section 194, which advantageously makes it possible to performan accurate pressing operation of the switch mechanism. Particularly, asshown in FIG. 41, in a case where the bump or pushing point 322 isprovided on one elastic beam 316 at a location corresponding to theflange portion 228 of the holding part 200 positioned at the homeposition in the horizontal shifting range, it is possible to efficientlytransmit a pressing force applied onto the elastic beams 316 from theholding part 200 of the operating section 194. As a result, a pressingforce required for a switching operation is decreased, whereby theoperability of the switch mechanism is improved.

[0245] In the above-described configuration wherein the bump or pushingpoint 322 is located at a position radially displaced from the centeraxis P of the pointing device 310, it is necessary to mach theorientation of the support member 314 to the orientation of the circuitboard 204 in an assembling process. Therefore, it is advantageous, fromthe viewpoint of improvement of assembling operability, that a pair ofopposed elastic beams 316 are provided respectively with bumps 322 (FIG.42A), or that all the elastic beams 316 are provided respectively withthe bumps 322 (FIG. 42B).

[0246] In the pointing device 280, 310 having the click function, it isrequired, when the operating section 194 is pushed down, to correctlyshift the operating section 194 in a vertical direction generallyorthogonal to the horizontal shifting direction of the operating section194 relative to the base section 282, 312 and the switch mechanism 284,in order to prevent any analogue data, such as cursor shifting data,from being unintentionally entered simultaneously with a clickoperation. To this end, the pointing device 280, 310 may beadvantageously provided with a guide mechanism for guiding the operatingsection 194 accurately in a vertical direction in relation to the switchmechanism 284.

[0247]FIGS. 43 and 44 show a modification of the pointing device 310including such a guide mechanism. In this modification, each of thefitting portions 318 of the support member 314 is provided integrallywith a guide element 330 having a generally sectorial shape andextending radially inward from the inner periphery of the fittingportion 318. The inner peripheral edges 330 a of the guide elements 330are located on a common circle, about the center axis P of the pointingdevice 310, having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter ofthe flange portion 228 of the holding part 200. Also, the upper surfaces330 b of the guide element 330 are located in the same plane as thesupport surfaces 316 a of the elastic beams 316 during a non-loadedcondition of the latter, and thus cooperate with the support surfaces316 a to support the holding part 200 slidably in the desired horizontaldirection.

[0248] In this configuration, when the operating section 194 is operatedto be pressed downward during a state where the holding part 200 islocated at the home position in the horizontal shifting range, theholding part 200 is accurately guided at the flange portion 228 by theguide elements 330 of the support member 314 in the vertical directionrelative to the switch mechanism 284. During this operation, the magnet196 is surely prevented from shifting in the horizontal directionrelative to the magneto-electro transducers 198, and thereby theunintentional input of any analogue data, such as cursor shifting data,is avoided. On the other hand, if the holding part 200 has been shiftedfrom the home position in the horizontal shifting range prior to thepushing-down operation, it is not possible to force the elastic beams316 to be elastically bent downward even when a pressing force isapplied to the operating section 194, because the flange portion 228 ofthe holding part 200 collides with any of the guiding elements 330 ofthe support member 314. Accordingly, the above modification makes itpossible to determine a manipulation position for a switching operation,such as a click operation, to only the home position of the holding part200 in the horizontal shifting range.

[0249] In the case where a pointing device with a magneto-electrotransducer, such as the pointing devices according to theabove-described various embodiments of the invention, is installed intoa portable information apparatus such as a mobile phone, it may bepredicted that the handling of various components of the pointing devicehaving a reduced dimension is comp licated or troublesome, and therebythe operability for assembling the information apparatus isdeteriorated. FIGS. 45A to 55 show respective major sections of portableinformation apparatuses, according to various embodiments of theinvention, into which the pointing device of the invention is installed,and which are configured to improve the operability of the assemblingprocess of the information apparatuses.

[0250]FIGS. 45A and 45B show a circuit board 340 and a key panel 342, ascomponents of a portable information apparatus, such as a mobile phone,according to one embodiment of the invention. This portable informationapparatus includes the pointing device 260 as the above-described eighthembodiment, installed with a characteristic structure for improving theoperability of the assembling process, and thus corresponding componentsare denoted by the common reference numerals and an explanation thereofis not repeated.

[0251] As shown in FIG. 45A, the circuit board 340 is provided on thesurface 340 a thereof with a plurality of switches 344, as a main inputsection of the information apparatus, installed in a predeterminedordered arrangement. The circuit board 340 is also provided atpredetermined positions on the surface 340 a with a plurality (four, inthe drawing) of arcuate slots 346 for fittings of the elastic part 202of the pointing device 260. The slots 346 respectively correspond to theslots 268 of the circuit board 264 shown in FIG. 33, and thus define, ina circular region surrounded by the slots 346, a flat support surface266 for supporting the holding part 200 of the operating section 194slidably in the desired horizontal direction. Four magneto-electrotransducers 198 are mounted on the back surface 340 b of the circuitboard 264, opposite to the support surface 266, at regular intervals ina circumferential direction about the center axis P of the pointingdevice 260 (FIG. 45B).

[0252] The key panel 342 is a thin-plate member integrally molded froman elastic material such as a rubber, and includes a plurality of keytops 348 projecting from the surface 342 a at locations corresponding tothe switches 344 of the circuit board 340. The key panel 342 alsoincludes the elastic part 202 of the pointing device 260 integrallyformed at a location corresponding to the support surface 266 of thecircuit board 340. That is, the elastic part 202 is integrally connectedthrough the second connecting portion 236 with the key panel 342including the key tops 348. The major portion 232 and the firstconnecting portion 234 of the elastic part 202 are formed to projectfrom the surface 342 a of the key panel 342, and a plurality ofthickened elements 236 b of the second connecting portion 236 are formedto project from the back side 342 b of the key panel 342.

[0253] As shown in FIG. 46A, in the elastic part 202 formed in the keypanel 342, the holding part 200 accommodating the magnet 196 and theyoke 230 fitted to the holding part 200 are securely received in arecess formed on the back side of the first connecting portion 234. Inthis state, the key panel 342 is assembled to the circuit board 340,with the back side 342 b being in contact with the surface 340 a of thecircuit board 340, in a predetermined positional correlation wherein thekey tops 348 are respectively aligned with the switches 344. Also, thethickened elements 236 b of the second connecting portion 236 of theelastic part 202 are respectively fitted into the corresponding slots346 of the circuit board 340. As a result, the holding part 200 isproperly positioned and placed slidably on the support surface 266 ofthe circuit board 340. When a housing 350 of the information apparatusis attached to cover the key panel 342 assembled with the circuit board340, the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic part 202 issecurely held and anchored between the circuit board 340 and the housing350 (FIG. 46B). In this manner, the pointing device 260 integrallyincorporated in the portable information apparatus is completed.

[0254] According to the above structure, the elastic part 202 and thecircuit board 264, as the inherent components of the pointing device260, are respectively integrated with the key panel 342 and the circuitboard 340, as the indispensable components of the portable informationapparatus into which the pointing device 260 is installed, so that thenumber of separate inherent components of the pointing device 260 iseffectively reduced. Also, during the assembling process of the pointingdevice 260, it is possible to assemble small-sized components torelatively large-sized key panel 342 and circuit board 340, bothincluding major parts of the information apparatus, so that theoperability of the assembling process of the pointing device 260 as wellas the operability of the portable information apparatus including thepointing device 260 are significantly improved.

[0255] The above-described portable information apparatus is assembledin such a procedure that, after the circuit board 340 and the key panel342 are assembled together, the housing 350 is fitted thereto. Anotherprocedure may be adopted, wherein the housing is first fitted to the keypanel, and thereafter the key panel is assembled to the circuit board.FIGS. 47A and 47B show a modification of the key panel 342 and thehousing 350, which has a configuration suitable for the latterprocedure.

[0256] In this modification, the elastic part 202 formed integrally withthe key panel 342 is provided in the second connecting portion 236 withthickened elements 236 b projecting from the surface 342 a of the keypanel 342 (FIG. 47A). On the other hand, the housing 350 is provided onthe back side 350 a with grooves 354 formed around an opening 352 intowhich the elastic part 202 is inserted, the grooves 354 having shapesand dimensions for respectively receiving the thickened elements 236 bof the second connecting portion 236 (FIG. 47B). Then, the key panel 342is assembled to the housing 350 while the elastic part 202 and the keytops 348 are respectively inserted into the opening 352 and key holes356 formed in the housing 350. In this step, the thickened elements 236b of the second connecting portion 236 of the elastic part 202 arerespectively fitted into the corresponding grooves 354 of the housing350.

[0257] The key panel 342 with the housing 350 being fitted theretoreceives in the elastic part 202 the magnet 196, the holding part 200and the yoke 230, and in this state, is assembled to the circuit board340, with the back side 342 b being in contact with the surface 340 a ofthe circuit board 340, in a predetermined positional correlation whereinthe key tops 348 are respectively aligned with the switches 344. As aresult, the holding part 200 is properly positioned and placed slidablyon the support surface 266 of the circuit board 340, and the secondconnecting portion 236 of the elastic part 202 is securely held andanchored between the circuit board 340 and the housing 350 (FIG. 48). Inthis manner, the pointing device 260, integrally incorporated in theportable information apparatus, is completed.

[0258] FIGS. 49 to 51 show a circuit board 360, a key panel 362 and ahousing 364, as components of a portable information apparatus, such asa mobile phone, according to another embodiment of the invention. Thisportable information apparatus includes a pointing device 366 similar tothe pointing device 10 as the above-described first embodiment,installed with a characteristic structure for improving the operabilityof the assembling process, and thus components corresponding to thepointing device 10 are denoted by the common reference numerals and anexplanation thereof is not repeated.

[0259] As shown in FIG. 49, the circuit board 360 is provided on thesurface 360 a thereof with a plurality of switches 368, as a main inputsection of the information apparatus, installed in a predeterminedordered arrangement. The key panel 362 is a thin-plate member integrallymolded from an elastic material such as a rubber, and includes aplurality of key tops 370 projecting from the surface 362 a at locationscorresponding to the switches 368 of the circuit board 360.

[0260] The housing 364 is a thin-plate member integrally molded from aresinous material, and includes a plurality of key holes 372 formedthrough the housing 364 at locations corresponding to the key tops 370of the key panel 362. The housing 364 is also provided at apredetermined position on the surface 364 a with a recessed region, thesupport member 26 of the pointing device 366 being integrally formed inthe recessed region as a bottom portion of the latter. That is, thesupport member 26 is integrally connected through the outside region ofthe cylindrical wall 30 with the housing 364 including the key holes372. The support surface 28 a and the cylindrical wall 30 of the supportmember 26 are arranged adjacent to the surface 364 a of the housing 364.

[0261] As shown in FIGS. 50 and 51, the holding part 20 accommodatingthe magnet 16 and the elastic part 22 fitted to the holding part 20 areinstalled on the support member 26 formed in the housing 364, with theaxial end of the holding part 20 being slidably placed on the supportsurface 28 a. The annular cover member 36 is fitted to the housing 364so as to cover or hide the second connecting portion 54 of the elasticpart 22, so that the second connecting portion 54 of the elastic part 22is securely anchored on the housing 364.

[0262] In this state, the circuit board 360, the key panel 362 and thehousing 364 are assembled with each other, in a predetermined positionalcorrelation, wherein the switches 368, the key tops 370 and the keyholes 372 are respectively aligned with each other. In this regard, thekey panel 362 has such a profile as to not overlap the support member 26formed in the housing 364. Also, four magneto-electro transducers 18 aremounted on the back side 360 b of the circuit board 360, opposite to thesupport surface 28 a of the support member 26, at regular intervals in acircumferential direction about the center axis P of the pointing device366. In this manner, the pointing device 366 integrally incorporated inthe portable information apparatus is completed.

[0263] According to the above structure, the support member 26 and thecircuit board 24, as the inherent components of the pointing device 366,are respectively integrated with the housing 364 and the circuit board360, as the indispensable components of the portable informationapparatus into which the pointing device 366 is installed, so that thenumber of separate inherent components of the pointing device 366 iseffectively reduced. Also, during the assembling process of the pointingdevice 366, it is possible to assemble small-sized components torelatively large-sized housing 364 and circuit board 360, both includingmajor parts of the information apparatus, so that the operability of theassembling process of the pointing device 366 as well as the operabilityof the portable information apparatus including the pointing device 366are significantly improved.

[0264] Further, in the above structure, it is possible, as shown in FIG.51, to define a certain space between the surface 360 a of the circuitboard 360 and the support member 26 in the housing 364, whichadvantageously increases a mounting area for electronic parts on thecircuit board 360. It will be appreciated that, in the case where aswitch mechanism for a click function is added to the pointing device366 in the above structure, the support member 314 having the elasticbeams 316 in the pointing device 310 according to the tenth embodimentmay be integrally formed with the housing 364, as shown in FIG. 52,instead of the support member 26.

[0265] FIGS. 53 to 55 show a lower panel 380, a membrane sheet 382, aswitch panel 384 and a key top 386, as components of a portableinformation apparatus, such as a mobile phone, according to a furtherembodiment of the invention. This portable information apparatusincludes a pointing device 388 similar to the pointing device 10 as theabove-described first embodiment, installed with a characteristicstructure for improving the operability of the assembling process, andthus components corresponding to the pointing device 10 are denoted bythe common reference numerals and the explanation thereof is notrepeated.

[0266] As shown in FIG. 53, the switch panel 384 is a thin-plate memberintegrally molded from a resinous material, and includes a plurality ofapertures 390 formed through the switch panel 384 at locationscorresponding to a plurality of switches (not shown) provided in themembrane sheet 382. The switch panel 384 is also provided at apredetermined position on the surface 384 a with a protruding region,the support member 26 of the pointing device 388 being integrally formedin the protruding region as a bottom portion of the latter. That is, thesupport member 26 is integrally connected through the outside region ofthe cylindrical wall 30 with the switch panel 384 including theapertures 390. The support surface 28 a and the cylindrical wall 30 ofthe support member 26 are arranged adjacent to the surface 384 a of theswitch panel 384.

[0267] As shown in FIGS. 54 and 55, the holding part 20 accommodatingthe magnet 16 and the elastic part 22 fitted to the holding part 20 areinstalled on the support member 26 formed in the switch panel 384, withthe axial end of the holding part 20 being slidably placed on thesupport surface 28 a. The cover member 36 is fitted to the switch panel384 so as to cover or hide the second connecting portion 54 of theelastic part 22, so that the second connecting portion 54 of the elasticpart 22 is securely anchored on the switch panel 384.

[0268] In this state, the membrane sheet 382 and the switch panel 384are assembled with each other, in a predetermined positionalcorrelation, wherein the switches and the apertures 390 are respectivelyaligned with each other, and then are placed on the lower panel 380. Inthis regard, the circuit board 24, onto which a magneto-electrotransducer 18 is mounted, is disposed between the membrane sheet 382 andthe switch panel 384 with the magneto-electro transducer 18 beinginserted within a space defined at a side opposite to the supportsurface 28 a of the support member 26. The key tops 386 are respectivelyassembled with corresponding switch-actuating mechanisms (not shown)provided inside the apertures 290 of the switch panel 384, and a key top392 is fitted to the elastic part 22 of the pointing device 388. In thismanner, the pointing device 388 integrally incorporated in the portableinformation apparatus is completed.

[0269] According to the above structure, the support member 26, as theinherent component of the pointing device 388, is integrated with theswitch panel 384, as the indispensable component of the portableinformation apparatus into which the pointing device 388 is installed,so that the number of separate inherent components of the pointingdevice 388 is effectively reduced. Also, the operability of theassembling process of the pointing device 388 as well as the operabilityof the portable information apparatus including the pointing device 388are significantly improved.

[0270] The pointing device 80, 100, 280, 310 with a click function, asthe various embodiments of the invention, has a construction wherein theswitch mechanism 84, 284 is actuated by operating the operating section14, 194 to be pushed downward in the vertical direction relative to thebase section 82, 102, 282, 312. In this construction, when the operatingsection 14, 194 is pushed downward, the magnet 16, 196 held in theholding part 20, 200 is inevitably displaced in relation to themagneto-electro transducers 18, 198 provided in the base section 82,102, 282, 312. If the direction of the displacement of the magnet 16,196 includes a horizontal component relative to the magneto-electrotransducers 18, 198, the output voltages of the magneto-electrotransducers may vary and thereby the signal of analogue data, such ascursor shifting data, may be output from the pointing device 80, 100,280, 310, just before a click operation is effected. Therefore, in orderto perform an accurate click operation, it is necessary to push down theoperating section 14, 194 accurately in a vertical direction in relationto the base section 82, 102, 282, 312, which in turn requires theprovision of an additional guide mechanism or, otherwise, the skill ofthe operator.

[0271] Contrary to the above construction, FIGS. 56 to 58 show apointing device 400, according to the eleventh embodiment of theinvention, having a low-profile structure and capable of significantlyeasily performing the accurate click operation. The pointing device 400includes a base section 402, an operating section 404 supported on thebase section 402 shiftably in a desired horizontal direction in relationto the base section 402, a circular-ring-shaped magnet (such as apermanent magnet) 406 arranged in or carried on the operating section404, a plurality of magneto-electro transducers (such as Hall-effectelements) 408 arranged in or carried on the base section 402 atlocations close to the magnet 406, and a switch mechanism 410 arrangedbetween the base section 402 and the operating section 404. Theoperating section 404 includes a first or holding part 412 securelyholding the magnet 406 and supported on the base section 402 shiftablyin a desired horizontal direction relative to the base section 402, asecond or elastic part 414 connected to the holding part 412 andelastically biasing the holding part 412 toward a home position in ahorizontal shifting range during a period when the holding part 412 ishorizontally shifted along the base section 402, and a third oractuating part 416 disposed independently of the holding part 412 on thebase section 402 shiftably in a vertical direction generally orthogonalto the horizontal direction.

[0272] The base section 402 includes a circuit board 418, on whichelectronic components including a CPU 419 are mounted, and a supportmember 420 fixedly joined to the circuit board 418. The circuit board418 has a generally flat major surface 418 a. The support member 420 isa plate-like element having a generally square profile as shown in aplan view, and is mounted on the surface 418 a of the circuit board 418with substantially no gap defined between the support member 420 and thesurface 418 a. The support member 420 includes an annular supportportion 422, in a generally circular center recessed region, forsupporting the holding part 412 of the operating section 404 slidably inthe desired horizontal direction, the switch mechanism 410 beinginserted within a circular opening 424 formed at a center of the supportportion 422. In the illustrated embodiment, the “horizontal direction”means a direction substantially parallel to the surface 418 a of thecircuit board 418, and thus the support portion 422 of the supportmember 420 is provided on an upper side thereof, facing away from thecircuit board 418, with a flat annular support surface 422 a extendingsubstantially parallel to the surface 418 a of the circuit board 418.The support surface 422 a serves to support the holding part 412slidably in the desired horizontal direction at a position projectingfrom the surface 418 a of the circuit board 418.

[0273] The support member 420 further includes a cylindrical wall 426extending in such a direction as to surround the support surface 422 a,the wall 426 defining a horizontal shifting range of the holding part412 of the operating section 404. The wall 426 is formed integrally withthe support portion 422 to project to a position higher than the supportsurface 422 a in relation to the surface 418 a of the circuit board 418.The elastic part 414 is fitted to the support member 420 with aperipheral portion of the elastic part 414 surrounding the cylindricalwall 426, as described later. A center axis of the cylindrical wall 426,passing through a geometrical center of the opening 424, constitutes acenter axis P of the pointing device 400 and defines a home position inthe horizontal shifting range of the holding part 412 along the supportsurface 422 a. The support member 420 is securely assembled with thecircuit board 418 at a predetermined position thereon by using, e.g., anadhesive.

[0274] The switch mechanism 410 having a generally circular profile in aplan view is mounted on the surface 418 a of the circuit board 418concentrically about the center axis P. Four magneto-electro transducers408 are mounted on the back surface 418 b opposite to the surface 418 aof the circuit board 418 at regular intervals in a circumferentialdirection about the center axis P. This configuration of themagneto-electro transducers 408 is provided for allowing the pointingdevice 400 to output an analog data signal in a two-dimensionalcoordinate system.

[0275] The base section 402 further includes a cover member 428 fixedlyjoined to the support member 420 so as to substantially cover or hide anouter peripheral region 420 a of the support member 420. The covermember 428 is a thin plate element having a generally square profile asshown in a plan view, corresponding to the support member 420, andincludes an end plate 428 a defining, at a center region thereof, agenerally circular center opening 430 through which a major operatingportion of the operating section 404, as described later, is inserted ina horizontally shiftable manner. The cover member 428 is furtherprovided integrally at an outer periphery thereof with extensions 432disposed along four sides of the end plate 428 a and extending generallyorthogonal to the latter. Each extension 432 is provided with a fittingaperture 434 penetrating through the thickness of the extension 432. Thecover member 428 is securely assembled with the support member 420, withlaterally projecting plural pawls 436 formed respectively on fourperipheral sides of the support member 420 being fitted into thecorresponding apertures 434 of the extensions 432 in a snap-fit mannerusing the elastic deformation of the extensions 432. The cover member428 serves to retain the operating section 404 so as to prevent thelatter from being removed from the base section 402, in a conditionwhere the major operating portion of the operating section 404 projectsoutward through the center opening 430. The cover member 428 having theabove structure may be made of a desired sheet metal.

[0276] In the illustrated embodiment, the holding part 412 and theelastic part 414 of the operating section 404 are produced independentlyfrom each other as separate members, and are securely assembledtogether. The holding part 412 is a circular-ring-shaped member, and hasrigidity for substantially eliminating a deformation thereof during aperiod when the operating section 404 is operated to shift in thehorizontal direction on the base section 402. The holding part 412includes a cylindrical inner circumferential wall 438 and a cylindricalintermediate wall 440, coaxially projecting on an axial or upper end ofthe holding part 412, with an annular recess 442 for accommodating themagnet 406 being defined between the inner and intermediate walls 438,440. The magnet 406 may be fixed in the annular recess 442 of theholding part 412 by adhering or press-fitting the magnet 406. Theholding part 412 is capable of shifting, in a parallel translationmanner, on the support surface 422 a of the support member 420 of thebase section 402 so as to be two-dimensionally slidable over 360 degreesabout the center axis P, with an axial or lower end face of the holdingpart 412 being uniformly abutted to the support surface 422 a.

[0277] The elastic part 414 is a basin-shaped member, and has elasticityfor permitting a relatively easy elastic deformation thereof during aperiod when the operating section 404 is operated to shift in thehorizontal direction on the base section 402. The elastic part 414 isprovided integrally with a major portion 444 extending around theholding part 412 with a gap defined therebetween, a first connectingportion 446 connected to the holding part 412 at one end of the majorportion 444 and a second connecting portion 448 connected to the basesection 402 at another end of the major portion 444. The major portion444 of the elastic part 414 has a truncated conical or dome-shapedprofile for surrounding substantially an entire circumference of theholding part 412 and is disposed coaxially with the holding part 412during a non-loaded condition of the elastic part 414. Accordingly, theelastic part 414 is elastically deformed in the major portion 444 due tothe horizontal shifting motion of the holding part 412 on the basesection 402, and thereby exerts in the major portion 444 an even elasticbiasing force irrespective of the horizontal shifting direction of theholding part 412.

[0278] The first connecting portion 446 of the elastic part 414 extendsintegrally and radially inward in a circular-ring shape from a smallerdiameter end of the major portion 444 having a truncated conicalprofile, so as to form a recess inside the first connecting portion 446,into which the inner and intermediate walls 438, 440 of the holding part412 holding the magnet 406 therebetween is securely fitted. The firstconnecting portion 446 of the elastic part 414 may be fixed by anadhesion or a press-fit with the holding part 412. The first connectingportion 446 also includes a cylindrical receptive bore 450 penetratingthrough a center region of the connecting portion 446 and formedcoaxially with the inner and intermediate walls 438, 440 of the holdingpart 412. The first connecting portion 446 extends to cover axial endfaces of the holding part 412 and the magnet 406 in close contacttherewith, and an operating surface 452, on which an operator toucheswith, e.g., his finger for the shifting operation of the operatingsection 404, is formed on the outer surface of the first connectingportion 446.

[0279] The second connecting portion 448 of the elastic part 414 extendsintegrally and projects axially and radially from a larger diameter endof the major portion 444 having a truncated conical profile, so as toform a thickened peripheral flange capable of being securely held andanchored between an outside annular groove region 426 a of thecylindrical wall 426 of the support member 420 and the end plate 428 aof the cover member 428, the members 420, 428 constituting the basesection 402. The first and second connecting portions 446, 448 serve tofixedly connect the elastic part 414 to the holding part 412 and thebase section 402, respectively, without substantially being deformedduring the horizontal shifting motion of the holding part 412 on thebase section 402.

[0280] The elastic part 414 may be made from various elastic materials,such as a synthetic rubber or a natural rubber. In consideration of areflow soldering performed in a mounting process of the pointing device400 onto a main circuit board of electronic equipment, it isadvantageous that the elastic part 414 is made from a material having acertain heat resistance, such as a silicone rubber, for preventing aquality deterioration thereof in a high temperature environment. On theother hand, the holding part 412 may be made of plastic, metal, and soforth.

[0281] The actuating part 416 is a circular-ring-shaped member, and hasrigidity for substantially eliminating a deformation thereof during aperiod when the actuating part 416 is operated to shift in the verticaldirection on the base section 402. The actuating part 416 is providedintegrally at one axial or lower end thereof with a flange portion 416 aextending radially outward. The actuating part 416 is also provided inanother axial or upper end thereof with a press-operating surface 454,on which an operator touches with, e.g., his finger for the pushing-downoperation of the actuating part 416. The actuating part 416 is separatedfrom the elastic part 414, and is received into the receptive bore 450in the first connecting portion 446 of the elastic part 414 through acertain gap. In this respect, the actuating part 416 is oriented so thatthe flange portion 416 a is capable of being engaged with a shoulder 438a slightly projecting radially inward from the inner wall 438 of theholding part 412 at a side opposite to the magnet 406. In a state wherethe flange portion 416 a of the actuating part 416 is engaged with theshoulder 438 a of the holding part 412, the press-operating surface 454of the actuating part 416 is located so as to slightly protrude at acenter of the operating surface 452 of the elastic part 414.

[0282] The actuating part 416 is provided in an axial or lower end facethereof with a bump 456 as a pushing point, locally protruding at acenter of the lower end face. The bump 456 is located on the center axisP of the pointing device 400. When the operating section 404 is properlyassembled with the base section 402, the actuating part 416 is supportedon the switch mechanism 410 disposed within the opening 424 of thesupport member 420, shiftably in the vertical direction in the operatingsection 404, with the bump 456 being abutted to the switch mechanism410.

[0283] The switch mechanism 410 is mounted onto the surface 418 a of thecircuit board 418, for providing a click function. The switch mechanism410 has a known make/break structure including a movable contact locatedsubstantially on the center axis P of the pointing device 400. In thisrespect, the switch mechanism 410 having various structures may be used,such as a mechanical switch including a spring-biased movable contact, amembrane switch including a pair of flexible circuit boards, and soforth. The switch mechanism 410 also may have a smaller dimension forenabling the magneto-electro transducers 408 being arranged within theopening 424 of the support member 420.

[0284] When the above-described components are properly assembled witheach other, the operating section 404 is arranged in such aconfiguration that the major and first connecting portions 444, 446 ofthe elastic part 414 as well as a portion of the actuating part 416including the press-operating surface 454 are inserted through thecenter opening 430 of the cover member 428 of the base section 402 in ahorizontally shiftable manner and are located to project outward fromthe end plate 428 a of the cover member 428. In this condition, anoperator can manipulate the operating surface 452 provided in the firstconnecting portion 446 of the elastic part 414 with, e.g., his finger,so as to horizontally shift the holding part 412 on the base section402. Also, an operator can manipulate the press-operating surface 454 ofthe actuating part 416 with, e.g., his finger, so as to vertically shiftthe actuating part 416 on the base section 402.

[0285] As shown in FIG. 58, during a period when the elastic part 414 ofthe operating section 404 is a non-loaded or balanced condition, acenter axis Q of the holding part 412 and the magnet 406 held in theannular recess 442 as well as of the actuating part 416 coincides withthe center axis P of the pointing device 400. In this state, the holdingpart 412 is located at a home position in the horizontal shifting rangeon the support member 420 of the base section 402, and fourmagneto-electro transducers 408 mounted on the circuit board 418 arepositioned equidistantly from the magnet 406. From this state, when theoperator touches the operating surface 452 with his finger and shifts ina parallel translation manner the holding part 412 in a desiredhorizontal direction, the major portion 444 of the elastic part 414 iselastically deformed in correspondence with the shifting direction andshifting amount or distance of the holding part 412 in acircumferentially uneven mode (FIG. 59A). As a result, the elastic part414 exerts a resultant elastic force in the major portion 444 in itsentirety, so as to bias the holding part 412 in a direction opposite tothe shifting direction. The operator thus manipulates the operatingsection 404 to horizontally shift it against a spring biasing forcegenerated by the major portion 444 of the elastic part 414.

[0286] Further, in the pointing device 400, it is possible for theoperator to push the press-operating surface 454 of the actuating part416 of the operating section 404 downward with, e.g., his finger in thehome position as shown in FIG. 58, and to force the bump 456 against theswitch mechanism 410, so as to make or close the switch mechanism 410(FIG. 59B). During this op eration, the holding part 412 is supported onthe support surface 422 a of the support member 420 in a stationarystate, so that it is possible to surely prevent the holding part 412 andthe magnet 406 from being shifted in the vertical direction even whenthe operator applies a pressing force to the operating surface 452 ofthe elastic part 414.

[0287] As described above, it is possible, in the pointing device 400,to enter analogue information corresponding to the shifting directionand shifting amount of the holding part 412 by applying an operatingforce in substantially the horizontal direction to the operating section404, as well as to perform, e.g., a click operation for a pointer on adisplay screen in electronic equipment into which the pointing device400 is installed, by applying a press-operating force in substantiallythe vertical direction to the operating section 404 located in the homeposition. Particularly, in the press-down operation, it is possible tosurely prevent the holding part 412 from being shifted in the verticaldirection relative to the base section 402, which eliminates therelative displacement between the magnet 406 and the magneto-electrotransducers 408. Accordingly, the pointing device 400 is capable ofperforming a proper and accurate click operation in a very simplemanipulation.

[0288] Also, in the pointing device 400, the respective components ofthe base and operating sections 402, 404 are reduced in thickness, whichprovides a lower-profile construction for the pointing device 400 in itsentirety, similar to the pointing device 280 according to theabove-described ninth embodiment. In this regard, when an annular grooveis formed in the support member 420 for the fitting of the secondconnecting portion 448 of the elastic part 414, instead of thecylindrical wall 426, in a way similar to the pointing device 310 as thetenth embodiment, it is possible to more effectively reduce thedimension, especially in a height direction, of the pointing device 400.

[0289]FIGS. 60 and 61 show a pointing device 460, according to thetwelfth embodiment of the present invention, having a low-profilestructure and capable of significantly easily performing the accurateclick operation. The pointing device 460 has substantially the samestructure as the pointing device 400 of the eleventh embodiment, exceptfor the constitution of an actuating part in the operating section, andthus corresponding components are denoted by the common referencenumerals and the explanation thereof is not repeated.

[0290] The pointing device 460 includes a base section 402, an operatingsection 462 supported on the base section 402 shiftably in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 402, a magnet 406carried on the operating section 462, a plurality of magneto-electrotransducers 408 carried on the base section 402 at locations close tothe magnet 406, and a switch mechanism 410 arranged between the basesection 402 and the operating section 462. The base section 402 includesa circuit board 418, on which electronic components including a CPU (notshown) are mounted, a support member 420 fixedly joined to the circuitboard 418, and a cover member 428 fixedly joined to the support member420 so as to substantially cover or hide an outer peripheral region 420a of the support member 420.

[0291] The operating section 462 includes a first or holding part 412securely holding the magnet 406 and supported on the base section 402shiftably in a desired horizontal direction, a second or elastic part414 elastically biasing the holding part 412 toward a home position in ahorizontal shifting range, and a third or actuating part 464 disposedindependently of the holding part 412 on the base section 402 shiftablyin a vertical direction generally orthogonal to the horizontaldirection. The actuating part 464 is integrally joined to the firstconnecting portion 446 of the elastic part 414, and is received into thereceptive bore 450 provided in the first connecting portion 446. Moreparticularly, the actuating part 464 is provided integrally at one axialor lower end thereof with a flange portion 464 a extending radiallyoutward, and is molded, at the flange portion 464 a integrally with theinner circumferential wall defining the receptive bore 450 of the firstconnecting portion 446 of the elastic part 414, from, e.g., a materialidentical to the elastic part 414.

[0292] The actuating part 464 is also provided in another axial or upperend thereof with a press-operating surface 466, on which an operatortouches with, e.g., his finger for the pushing-down operation of theactuating part 464. In a state where no pushing-down force is applied tothe actuating part 464, the press-operating surface 466 of the actuatingpart 464 is located so as to slightly protrude at a center of theoperating surface 452 of the elastic part 414. When a certainpushing-down force is applied to the actuating part 464, the actuatingpart 464 is shifted in the vertical direction inside the receptive bore450 of the elastic part 414 with the mutual connecting portion betweenthe elastic part 414 and the actuating part 464 being elasticallydeformed. It is preferred, as illustrated, that the innercircumferential wall 438 (FIG. 56) of the holding part 412 is omitted,so as to allow the mutual connecting portion between the elastic part414 and the actuating part 464 being elastically deformed with nodifficulty when the pushing-down force is applied to the actuating part464.

[0293] The actuating part 464 is provided in an axial or lower end facethereof with a bump 468 as a pushing point, locally protruding at acenter of the lower end face. The bump 468 is located on the center axisP of the pointing device 460. When the operating section 462 is properlyassembled with the base section 402, the actuating part 464 is supportedon the switch mechanism 410 disposed within the opening 424 of thesupport member 420, shiftably in the vertical direction in the operatingsection 462, with the bump 468 being abutted to the switch mechanism410.

[0294] In the pointing device 460 having the above structure, it ispossible to enter analogue information corresponding to the shiftingdirection and shifting amount of the holding part 412 on the basesection 402 by applying an operating force in substantially thehorizontal direction to the operating section 462, in a way similar tothe pointing device 400 (FIG. 62A). Also, in the pointing device 460, itis possible for the operator to push the press-operating surface 466 ofthe actuating part 464 of the operating section 462 downward with, e.g.,his finger in the home position as shown in FIG. 61, and to force thebump 468 of the actuating part 464 against the switch mechanism 410, soas to make or close the switch mechanism 410 (FIG. 62B). In thispress-down operation, the holding part 412 is surely prevented frombeing shifted in the vertical direction relative to the base section402, so that it is possible to significantly easily perform a properclick operation for, e.g., a pointer on a display screen in electronicequipment into which the pointing device 460 is installed. Particularly,in the pointing device 460, the elastic part 414 and the actuating part464 of the operating section 462 are integrated with each other, whichadvantageously decreases the number of components and improves theoperability of assembling process.

[0295] In the pointing device 400, 460 including the actuating part 416,464 exclusively used for the pushing-down operation, it is required, inthe pushing-down operation, not only to correctly shift the actuatingpart 416, 464 in the vertical direction but also to prevent the holdingpart 412 from being involuntarily shifted in the horizontal direction onthe support member 420, in order to eliminate the unintentional input ofany analogue data, such as cursor shifting data. To this end, thepointing device 400, 460 may be advantageously provided with a guidemechanism for guiding the actuating part 416, 464 in a verticaldirection only at a limited position just above the switch mechanism410.

[0296]FIGS. 63A and 63B show a modification of the pointing device 460including such a guide mechanism. In this modification, the opening 424provided in the support member 420 is formed to have a diameterdimension slightly larger than the outer diameter of the flange portion464 a of the actuating part 464. Also, during a state where nopushing-down force is applied to the actuating part 464, the bottom faceof the actuating part 464 is designed to be located at a certaindistance from the surface 418 a of the circuit board 418 further thanthe support surface 422 a of the support member 420.

[0297] In this configuration, when an operator operates the operatingsection 462 to shift it in the horizontal direction while controlling apressing force so as not to be applied to the actuating part 464, theholding part 412 is smoothly shifted slidably on the support surface 422a in the desired horizontal direction with no interference between theactuating part 464 and the support member 420 (FIG. 63A). Even when theoperator applies a pressing force to the actuating part 464 during thehorizontal motion of the holding part 412, the actuating part 464collides with the support surface 422 a of the support member 420, whicheffectively prevents the switch mechanism 410 from being actuated. Onthe other hand, when the actuating part 464 is operated to be presseddownward during a state where the holding part 412 is located at thehome position in the horizontal shifting range, the actuating part 464is accurately guided at the flange portion 464 a by the peripheral edgeof the opening 424 of the support member 420 in the vertical directionjust above the switch mechanism 410. During this operation, even when acertain horizontal component of the pressing force is involuntarilyapplied to the operating section 462, the actuating part 464 collideswith the support member 420 inside the opening 424, which effectivelyprevents the holding part 412 from being shifted in the horizontaldirection. Accordingly, the above modification makes it possible todetermine a manipulation position for a switching operation, such as aclick operation, to only the home position of the holding part 412 inthe horizontal shifting range, as well as to surely avoid theunintentional input of any analogue data, such as cursor shifting data,during the switching operation.

[0298] In another modification of the pointing device 460 including theactuating part 464 formed integrally with the elastic part 414, as shownin FIG. 64, the actuating part 464 may be provided with a key top 470separately from the elastic part 414. In this modification, theactuating part 464 may be structured so that only a portion adjacent tothe flange portion 464 a joined to the elastic part 414 is moldedintegrally with the elastic part 414 and the key top 470 is fixed tothis integrally molded portion on the side thereof adjacent to theoperating surface 452 of the elastic part 414 (FIG. 65A). The key top470 is provided at an axial end face, located close to the operatingsurface 452, with a press-operating surface 472 for the pressingoperation of the actuating part 464 in the vertical direction.

[0299] In the above structure, when the key top 470 is made of amaterial different from the elastic part 414, it is possible to improvea visibility and pressing operability of the actuating part 464 as wellas an appearance or design of the operating section 462 in its entirety.Particularly, as illustrated, it is preferred that a pushing pin 474 isformed to protrude on the axial bottom end face of the key top 470 atthe center thereof, and is inserted into a through hole 464 b formed inthe integrally molded portion of the actuating part 464 so that thedistal end of the pin 474 projects from the actuating part 464 towardthe switch mechanism 410. In this arrangement, it is possible tocorrectly actuate the switch mechanism 410 by using the pushing pin 474of the key top 470 made of a material harder than the elastic part 414.

[0300] Moreover, in the case where the operating section 462 is allowedto increase in size to some extent, a key top 478 including apress-operating surface 476 having an outer diameter larger than theinner diameter of the magnet 406 may be provided for the actuating part464. In this structure, it is possible to further improve the visibilityand pressing operability of the actuating part 464.

[0301]FIGS. 66 and 67 show a pointing device 480, according to thethirteenth embodiment of the present invention, having an actuating partexclusively used for a pushing-down operation. The pointing device 480has substantially the same structure as the pointing device 400 of theeleventh embodiment, except for the constitution of an operatingsection, and thus corresponding components are denoted by the commonreference numerals and an explanation thereof is not repeated.

[0302] The pointing device 480 includes a base section 402, an operatingsection 482 supported on the base section 402 shiftably in a desiredhorizontal direction in relation to the base section 462, a magnet 484carried on the operating section 482, a plurality of magneto-electrotransducers 408 carried on the base section 402 at locations close tothe magnet 484, and a switch mechanism 410 arranged between the basesection 402 and the operating section 482. The base section 402 includesa circuit board 418, on which electronic components including a CPU (notshown) are mounted, a support member 420 fixedly joined to the circuitboard 418, and a cover member 428 fixedly joined to the support member420 so as to substantially cover or hide an outer peripheral region 420a of the support member 420. The switch mechanism 410 is mounted on thecircuit board 418 at a position deviated from the center axis P of thepointing device 480, and the support member 420 is provided at aposition corresponding to the switch mechanism 410 with an opening 424.

[0303] The operating section 482 includes a first or holding part 486securely holding the magnet 484 and supported on the base section 402shiftably in a desired horizontal direction, a second or elastic part488 elastically biasing the holding part 486 toward a home position in ahorizontal shifting range, and a third or actuating part 490 disposedindependently of the holding part 486 on the base section 402 shiftablyin a vertical direction generally orthogonal to the horizontaldirection. The holding part 486 is a plate-like member having areceptive groove 492 at a center thereof, and is provided near thereceptive groove 492 with an opening 494 shaped and dimensionedcorrespondingly to the opening 424 in the support member 420. Theopening 494 in the holding part 486 is located in alignment with theopening 424 in the support member 420 during a period when the holdingpart 486 is located at the home position in the horizontal shiftingrange on the base section 402. The 94 holding part 486 securelyaccommodates the disk-shaped magnet 484 in the receptive groove 492 andis fitted to the elastic part 488. The holding part 486 is capable ofshifting, in a parallel translation manner, on the support surface 422 aof the support member 420 so as to be two-dimensionally slidable over360 degrees about the center axis P, with an axial lower end face of theholding part 486 being uniformly abutted to the support surface 422 a.

[0304] The elastic part 488 is provided integrally with a major portion496 extending around the holding part 486 with a gap definedtherebetween, a first connecting portion 498 connected to the holdingpart 486 at one end of the major portion 496 and a second connectingportion 500 connected to the base section 402 at another end of themajor portion 496. The elastic part 488 is elastically deformed in themajor portion 496 due to the horizontal shifting motion of the holdingpart 486 on the base section 402, and thereby exerts, in the majorportion 496, an even elastic biasing force corresponding to the amountof deformation, irrespective of the horizontal shifting direction of theholding part 486. The elastic part 488 is provided in the firstconnecting portion 498 with an operating surface 502, on which anoperator touches with, e.g., his finger for the shifting operation ofthe operating section 482. The first connecting portion 498 is alsoprovided with a cylindrical receptive bore 504 at a locationcorresponding to the opening 494 in the holding part 486.

[0305] The actuating part 490 is integrally joined at a flange portion490 a extending radially outward at one axial or lower end of theactuating part 490 to the first connecting portion 498 of the elasticpart 488, and is received into the receptive bore 504 provided in thefirst connecting portion 498. The actuating part 490 is also provided inanother axial or upper end thereof with a press-operating surface 506,on which an operator touches with, e.g., his finger for the pushing-downoperation of the actuating part 490. The actuating part 490 is furtherprovided in the axial or lower end face thereof with a bump 508 as apushing point, locally protruding at a center of the lower end face.When the operating section 482 is properly assembled with the basesection 402, the actuating part 490 is supported on the switch mechanism410 disposed within the opening 424 of the support member 420, shiftablyin the vertical direction in the operating section 482, with the bump508 being abutted to the switch mechanism 410.

[0306] In the pointing device 480 having the above structure, it ispossible to enter analogue information corresponding to the shiftingdirection and shifting amount of the holding part 486 on the basesection 402 by applying an operating force in substantially thehorizontal direction to the operating section 482, in a way similar tothe pointing device 460. Also, in the pointing device 480, it ispossible for the operator to push the press-operating surface 506 of theactuating part 490 of the operating section 482 downward with, e.g., hisfinger in the home position as shown in FIG. 67, and to force the bump508 of the actuating part 490 against the switch mechanism 410, so as tomake or close the switch mechanism 410. In this press-down operation,the holding part 486 is surely prevented from being shifted in thevertical direction relative to the base section 402, so that it ispossible to significantly easily perform a proper click operation for,e.g., a pointer on a display screen in electronic equipment into whichthe pointing device 480 is installed. Particularly, in the pointingdevice 480, the actuating part 490 is located at a position deviatedfrom the center axis P, it is possible to advantageously use the magnet484 having a simple circular shape. Moreover, the pointing device 480makes it possible to mount a plurality of switch mechanisms 410 on thecircuit board 418 and to provide a plurality of actuating parts 490 inthe operating section 482 correspondingly to the switch mechanisms 410,which effectively imparts a multi-functionality to the pointing device480.

[0307] In the pointing device with a click function, according to theabove-described various embodiments of the invention, it is possible toprevent the unintentional input of analogue data in the switchingoperation by using a structural solution such as the provision of theguide mechanism for enabling the accurate shifting operation of theoperating section in the vertical direction. In place of, or insupplementary addition to the guide mechanism, it is also possible toprevent the unintentional input of analogue data in the switchingoperation by providing an electrical solution in an operation forprocessing a signal output from the pointing device. FIG. 68 shows asignal processing procedure in a pointing device, according to anembodiment of the present invention, embodying the above electricalsolution.

[0308] For example, in the pointing device 400 as the eleventhembodiment shown in FIG. 56, when the actuating part 416 in theoperating section 404 is pushed downward to actuate the switch mechanism410, the CPU 419, as a processing part, mounted on the circuit board 418processes an on-signal generated from the switch mechanism 410 as aclick signal, and outputs it to a processing circuit in a data processorinto which the pointing device 400 is installed. In this arrangement, asshown in FIG. 68, a signal-processing program stored for the CPU 419 isconstructed so that the CPU 419 suspends processing an analogue signal(or a cursor shifting data signal) generated from a signal generatingpart structured by the magnet 406 and the magneto-electro transducers408 and thus does not output analogue data, during a time when theswitch mechanism 410 is actuated (or switched on). In this manner, it ispossible to effectively prevent the unintentional input of analogue datain the switching operation.

[0309] In the pointing device 400, if the holding part 412 isinvoluntarily shifted in the horizontal direction just after thepressing operation of the actuating part 416 is released, the cursorshifting data signal is output. As an optional solution to this, asshown in FIG. 68, it is advantageous to construct a signal-processingprogram stored for the CPU 419 so that the CPU 419 suspends processingthe analogue signal generated from the signal generating part by thehorizontal shifting motion of the holding part 412 and thus does notoutput analogue data, during a predetermined time T after the switchmechanism 410 is shifted from an actuated condition to a non-actuatedcondition (or switched off). In this manner, it is possible toeffectively prevent the unintentional input of analogue data just afterthe switching operation is released. The time T in the above solutionmay be variously determined in consideration of the operability of thepointing device. It is possible, for example, to determine the time T toa certain time generally required for holding a pointer at a constantposition on a display screen during a double-click operationconventionally performed in a personal computer, and so on.

[0310] While several preferred embodiments, for mainly improving alow-profile structure and an operability, have been described withreference to the drawings, it should be noted that these embodiments mayalso have various forms other than the illustrated forms. For example,the characteristic structure of the pointing device having a low-profilestructure according to the invention may be effectively applied in apointing device in which a positional correlation between the magnet andthe plural magneto-electro transducers is reverse to the illustratedconfiguration, that is, wherein the magneto-electro transducers providedin the operating section are shifted relative to the magnet provided inthe base section. In this alternative arrangement, it can be expected toobtain the same particular effects as in the illustrated embodiments.Also, the manufacturing method of the assembled structure of a circuitboard and a connector, according to the invention, may also be appliedto the above-described various pointing devices having low-profilestructures. Further, the signal processing procedure in a pointingdevice, according to the present invention, may also be applied topointing devices having various signal generating parts other than theabove-described signal generating part including the magneto-electrotransducer.

[0311] While the invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

1. A pointing device, comprising: a base section; an operating sectionshiftably supported on said base section; a magnet carried on one ofsaid base section and said operating section; and a magneto-electrotransducer carried on the other of said base section and said operatingsection at a location close to said magnet; wherein said operatingsection includes a first part securely holding one of said magnet andsaid magneto-electro transducer and supported on said base section andshiftable in a desired horizontal direction relative to said basesection, and a second part first part toward a home position in ahorizontal shifting range during a time when said first part ishorizontally shifted along said base section.
 2. A pointing device asset forth in claim 1, wherein said second part of said operating sectionis provided integrally with a major portion surrounding substantially anentire circumference of said first part, a first connecting portionconnected to said first part at one end of said major portion and asecond connecting portion connected to said base section at another endof said major portion; said major portion exerting an even elasticbiasing force irrespective of a shifting direction of said first part onsaid base section.
 3. A pointing device as set forth in claim 2, whereinsaid base section includes a cover member covering said secondconnecting portion of said second part; said cover member being providedwith a center opening for permitting said major and first connectingportions of said second part to be inserted through said opening in ahorizontally shiftable manner.
 4. A pointing device as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said base section includes a circuit board electricallyconnected to said magneto-electro transducer and a support member joinedto said circuit board; said support member being provided at a positionprojecting from a surface of said circuit board with a generally flatsupport surface for supporting said first part slidably in saidhorizontal direction.
 5. A pointing device as set forth in claim 4,wherein said support member includes a wall projecting to a positionhigher than said support surface in relation to said surface of saidcircuit board and extending in such a direction as to surround saidsupport surface; said second part being abutted at a desired portionthereof onto said wall to be attached to said support member.
 6. Apointing device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said support memberincludes a groove recessed to a position lower than said support surfacein relation to said surface of said circuit board and extending in sucha direction as to surround said support surface; said second part beinginserted at a desired portion thereof into said groove to be attached tosaid support member.
 7. A pointing device as set forth in claim 4,wherein said support member includes a support portion provided at aposition spaced from said circuit board, the support portion definingsaid support surface.
 8. A pointing device as set forth in claim 7,further comprising a switch mechanism mounted onto said circuit boardwithin a space defined between said circuit board and said supportportion of said support member; said switch mechanism being actuated bypressing said first part against said support portion.
 9. A pointingdevice as set forth in claim 8, wherein said support member includes aplurality of elastic beams cooperating with each other to form saidsupport portion; said elastic beams being elastically bent by pressingsaid first part against said support portion so that at least one ofsaid elastic beams actuates said switch mechanism.
 10. A pointing deviceas set forth in claim 8, further comprising a separate elastic memberinterposed between said circuit board and said support member; saidseparate elastic member being elastically bent by pressing said firstpart against said support portion so that said support portion actuatessaid switch mechanism.
 11. A pointing device as set forth in claim 7,wherein one of said magnet and said magneto-electro transducer ismounted onto said circuit board within a space defined between saidcircuit board and said support portion of said support member.
 12. Apointing device as set forth in claim 4, wherein one of said magnet andsaid magneto-electro transducer is mounted onto said circuit board on aback side opposite to a side on which said support member is placed. 13.A pointing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said base sectionincludes a circuit board electrically connected to said magneto-electrotransducer; said circuit board being provided in a surface thereof witha generally flat support surface for supporting said first part slidablyin said horizontal direction.
 14. A pointing device as set forth inclaim 13, wherein one of said magnet and said magneto-electro transduceris mounted onto said circuit board on a side opposite to said supportsurface.
 15. A pointing device as set forth in claim 13, wherein adesired portion of said second part is directly attached to said circuitboard.
 16. A pointing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said firstand second parts are formed separately from and assembled to each other.17. A pointing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first andsecond parts are formed integrally with each other from mutuallydifferent materials.
 18. A pointing device as set forth in claim 1,wherein said first and second parts are formed integrally with eachother from mutually identical materials.
 19. A pointing device as setforth in claim 1, wherein said second part includes a portion coveringsaid first part and an operating surface formed on said portion for ashifting operation of said operating section.
 20. A pointing device asset forth in claim 1, further comprising a key top fitted to said firstpart independently from said second part, wherein an operating surfaceis formed on said key top for a shifting operation of said operatingsection.
 21. A pointing device as set forth in claim 1, furthercomprising an auxiliary part arranged between said base section and saidoperating section for elastically biasing said first part toward saidhome position in cooperation with said second part.
 22. A pointingdevice as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a switch mechanismarranged between said base section and said operating section, whereinsaid operating section includes an actuating part disposed independentlyof said first part on said base section and shiftable in a verticaldirection generally orthogonal to said horizontal direction; said switchmechanism being actuated by pressing said actuating part against saidswitch mechanism.
 23. A pointing device as set forth in claim 22,wherein said actuating part is separated from said second part andcarried on said switch mechanism.
 24. A pointing device as set forth inclaim 22, wherein said actuating part is joined integrally with saidsecond part.
 25. A pointing device as set forth in claim 22, whereinsaid base section includes a guide mechanism for guiding said actuatingpart in said vertical direction directly above said switch mechanism.26. A pointing device as set forth in claim 22, wherein said actuatingpart includes a key top separate from said second part and apress-operating surface formed on said key top for a pressing operationof said operating section in said vertical direction.
 27. A pointingdevice as set forth in claim 22, wherein said base section includes acircuit board carrying said switch mechanism thereon; one of said magnetand said magneto-electro transducer being mounted onto said circuitboard on a back side opposite to a side on which said switch mechanismis carried.
 28. A pointing device as set forth in claim 1, wherein saidbase section includes a circuit board electrically connected to saidmagneto-electro transducer and a connector for connecting said circuitboard to another mounting board, and wherein said connector includes aninsulating member and a plurality of terminals carried in an array onsaid insulating member; said terminals being individually secured to aplurality of through holes formed in a region adjacent to an outerperiphery of said circuit board.
 29. A pointing device as set forth inclaim 28, wherein said circuit board is provided on a surface thereofwith a land adjacent to an opening edge of each of said through holes; aportion of said land, disposed between said opening edge and said outerperiphery of said circuit board, having a width dimension smaller thanthat of a remaining portion of said land.
 30. A pointing device,comprising: a base section; an operating section supported on said basesection and shiftable in a desired direction relative to said basesection; a magnet carried on one of said base section and said operatingsection; and a magneto-electro transducer carried on the other of saidbase section and said operating section at a location close to saidmagnet; wherein said base section includes a circuit board connected tosaid magneto-electro transducer and a connector for connecting saidcircuit board to another mounting board; and wherein said connectorincludes an insulating member and a plurality of terminals carried in anarray on said insulating member; said terminals being individuallysecured to a plurality of through holes formed in a region adjacent toan outer periphery of said circuit board.
 31. A pointing device as setforth in claim 30, wherein said circuit board is provided on a surfacethereof with a land adjacent to an opening edge of each of said throughholes; a portion of said land, disposed between said opening edge andsaid outer periphery of said circuit board, having a width dimensionsmaller than that of a remaining portion of said land.
 32. A portableinformation apparatus comprising: a pointing device as set forth inclaim 1; and a component provided integrally with at least desiredportions of said base section and said operating section of saidpointing device.
 33. A pointing device, comprising: a base section; anoperating section arranged shiftably in a desired direction relative tosaid base section; a signal generating part for detecting a relativedisplacement between said base section and said operating section togenerate an analogue signal; a switch mechanism capable of beingactuated by a relative motion between said base section and saidoperating section in a direction different from said relativedisplacement to generate a signal; and a processing part for processingsignals generated by said signal generating part and said switchmechanism as input data; wherein said processing part suspendsprocessing of said analogue signal generated from said signal generatingpart during a time when said switch mechanism is actuated.
 34. Apointing device as set forth in claim 33, wherein said processing partsuspends processing of said analogue signal generated from said signalgenerating part during a predetermined time after said switch mechanismis shifted from an actuated condition to a non-actuated condition.
 35. Amethod of manufacturing an assembly of a circuit board and a connector,the connector being attached to an outer periphery of the circuit board,comprising: providing a circuit board including a mounting region onwhich electrical parts are capable of being mounted and a disposalregion adjacent to the mounting region; providing a connector includingan insulating member and a plurality of terminals carried in an array onsaid insulating member; forming a plurality of through holes with landsin said mounting region of said circuit board, each of said landsextending continuously from said mounting region to said disposalregion; individually inserting said terminals of said connector intosaid through holes with lands in said circuit board, and soldering saidterminals to said lands; and separating said disposal region from saidmounting region along a boundary between said disposal and mountingregions, while leaving said connector attached to said mounting regionof said circuit board.
 36. A pointing device comprising an assembly of acircuit board and a connector, manufactured by a method as set forth inclaim 35.